Blue Jays by the numbers: Offensive output especially impressive given current climate

The winning streak is now over following Monday night's 4-3 loss to the Mets, but the Blue Jays showed during their 11-game tear that they could dominate opponents on the strength of their star-studded lineup.

Toronto scored 88 runs and hit .312/.366/.518 with 18 home runs over the course of the 11 straight wins. Given how hot the bats were during the streak and have been all season, it's no surprise that heading into Monday's games the Jays had established themselves as far and away the best offensive team in baseball:

Now by no means are the Blue Jays' offensive totals historic but considering how difficult it is to score runs in the game's current climate, their production at the plate is especially impressive.

Eight teams averaged over five runs per game in 2007. This season the Blue Jays are the only team to average over five runs per game. Last season the Los Angeles Angels led the league in offence averaging 4.72 runs per game.

Simply put, runs are at a premium these days and a high-scoring offence is worth more than it was 10 years ago. When the Yankees put up 5.91 runs per game in 2007, that was only 1.1 runs better than league average. Toronto's 5.52 runs per game average is a whopping 1.4 runs higher than a league average.

It's how they've recorded a MLB-best 14 blowout (five runs or more) wins this season and have closed the gap on their rivals in the AL East. FanGraphs rates their playoff chances at 46.3%, which is sure of a lot better than where the Jays were just two weeks ago. They're in the race for October and their lineup should keep them competitive down the stretch.

Yes, the starting staff could be more consistent and the bullpen could be improved, but appreciate what Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Russell Martin, and Co. are doing at the plate because in an era where scoring is down, the Blue Jays are still flying high.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr