Blue Jays slide into fifth in the American League East after fourth series loss in a row
in 4 minutes
The Toronto Blue Jays were up four runs against the Washington Nationals with a solid 5-1 lead on Sunday afternoon. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had just hit a towering grand slam toward the left field in Nationals Park to put the Blue Jays out in front. This was finally the time to turn things around and the Blue Jays’ offence looked like they had found its stride after going through a long funk. But little did they know, things were about to fall apart much faster than they thought.
Putting Alek Manoah back in the starting rotation was a significant risk for the Blue Jays given his ongoing inconsistencies. Manoah has unfortunately been a shell of himself since 2023 and couldn’t find his rhythm when he made his 2024 season debut in Washington D.C. It all started with loading the bases and walking in a run and didn’t get any better for the right-hander. Manoah gave up a few walks and hard contacts; he eventually surrendered three costly home runs to put the Nationals back on top with a score of 7-6.
Toronto’s bullpen didn’t help with run prevention on Sunday when they coughed up four more runs to solidify the Nationals’ lead at 11-8, ultimately leading to Washington’s game and series win. The reliever quartet of Nate Pearson, Génesis Cabrera, Erik Swanson and Zach Pop couldn’t hold down Washington’s offence from launching a massive comeback and the Blue Jays’ offence couldn’t bail out the pitchers as the lineup produced zero hits at the top of the eighth and ninth.
At the outset, it was all about the underperforming offence that put the Blue Jays in a chokehold as they struggled with scoring more than five runs for more than 10 games. But the offensive power returned on Sunday when the Blue Jays exploded with eight runs against the surging Nationals. This time, it was the pitching that spelled disaster for Toronto. It’s a tale as old as time – nothing has been clicking for the Blue Jays all at once.
This was supposed to be the time for the Blue Jays to flip the narrative. Technically, there’s still time for Toronto to rewrite its trajectory or at least keep its head above the water. But that doesn’t change the fact that the clock is ticking for the Blue Jays to prove people wrong. This team has been trying to reach its full potential to no avail, and this waiting game may prove detrimental if Toronto fails to catch a hot streak at the right time.
The Blue Jays now have 16 wins and 19 losses, which puts them at the very bottom of the unforgiving American League East division. They are far out of the playoff picture at this point, but they have the ability to climb back up to the Wild Card contention if the remaining 127 games go the Blue Jays’ way. It’s still too early to blow up the team or clamour for a full-blown rebuild. If there is a slight problem along the way, it’s that there are more teams in the American League trying to contend for limited playoff spots. The playoff race isn’t going to get any easier – it’s only going to get tougher as time goes on.
The question isn’t whether the Blue Jays’ roster is flawed because it is. A roster teeming with utility players and head-scratching lineup cards doesn’t exactly scream a winning formula, especially when every team around the league continues to win more games. The New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles finding ways to win more games hasn’t helped out the Blue Jays and the rising American League Central – except the soul-searching Chicago White Sox – doesn’t help their case in making a meaningful playoff push.
Even with the inherent flaws on its roster, there could be some positive regression for Toronto down the road. But that rebound isn’t always guaranteed, and there could be a chance the team could be in a freefall if it keeps squandering the opportunity to put everything together. The Blue Jays’ offence, defence and pitching will need to find ways to click together for a decent stretch if they want a shot at stopping the downward spiral. If there is a glimmer of positivity, Toronto has shown flashes of their abilities and the hunger to win more games.
The remaining schedule for the next two weeks will be ruthless with the Jays facing the Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. With the exception of the Rays, all of these opponents have a robust winning record – they won’t make it easy for the Blue Jays to win. There’s no doubt that Toronto needs to mend its story quickly to have a shot at any playoff glory or even a winning record. A better happy ending isn’t just something that’s handed out so easily, and the Blue Jays may find out how hard they have to work to create an incredibly inspirational turnaround.
The next best thing isn’t simply going to cut it anymore and the sanctity of patience isn’t going to hold up any longer. The time has to be now.
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