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Blue Jays’ inability to produce with RISP is once again hindering playoff hopes
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Photo credit: © John Jones-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 26, 2026, 18:30 EDTUpdated: Aug 26, 2026, 17:32 EDT
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Over their past five games, the Toronto Blue Jays reverted back to their form before the All-Star game once again.
Hitting with runners in scoring position has been a major problem for the Jays all season long, slashing ..238/.305/.372 in 1,207 plate appearances (1,034 at-bats). Their 86 wRC+ is second-worst in Major League Baseball, while their on-base percentage ranks worst and their average and slugging sit as the sixth and fourth-worst respectively.
It seemed as if the Blue Jays were figuring it out at the plate, going 15-8 from July 27th until August 20th. In 217 at-bats with runners in scoring position, the Jays batted .249. That’s including a massive outlier where they went 1-19 with RISP against the Cubs. 
Removing that from the equation because it was a makeup game before the All-Star Game and it being an outlier, the Jays had 53 hits in 198 at-bats with RISP, or a .268 batting average in this span.
But their fortunes changed in the final game in that stretch. The Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 in the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first series at Tropicana Field since the Vietnam War, but they were 1-11 with RISP. A sign to come when they travelled to the Bronx.
They had their chances against Cam Schlittler and the New York Yankees on Friday, with a runner reaching at least second base in seven of the nine innings. However, they went a dismal 1-14 with runners in scoring position, grounding into two double plays and ultimately falling 3-1.
On Saturday, they defeated the Yankees 4-3, their lone win in their last four games. Even then, the game shouldn’t have been close, as the Jays went 4-18 with runners in scoring position. They got timely hits, but the 2025 Blue Jays would’ve won that game big.
Their series win streak of seven was snapped on Sunday, falling 8-3 to the Yankees. It was the exact same problem, going 1-9 with RISP. Returning home, the Jays fell 5-3 to the Kansas City Royals where they went 1-11.
Over their last five games, the Blue Jays have a horrendous .127 batting average with runners in scoring position. On top of injuries, the reason the Blue Jays are in the position they are in this season is their inability to hit with runners in scoring position.
Now approaching August, the Blue Jays have had 1,034 at-bats with RISP and have mustered just 246 hits. They have had their fair share of chances, but just can’t capitalize as they’ve notched just five hits with RISP just eight times this season.
For context, by the time the 2025 Blue Jays played 133 games, they had 20 games with five or more hits with RISP. In fact, they hit nine games on May 22nd. But what about the 2024 Blue Jays? Well, even they had 16 games with five or more hits with RISP by the 133 game mark. That team reached nine games with five or more hits with RISP in mid-June.
At the 133 game mark, the 2026 Blue Jays have a worse record than the 2024 Blue Jays. However, the Blue Jays are still in the playoff hunt, sitting three games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final wild card. The 2024 Blue Jays weren’t so fortunate, as they were eight games back after 133 games.
With the Jays facing five teams fighting for a wild card spot over their next 29 games, their destiny remains in their hands for now. That said, this team needs to start notching some clutch hits. They showed they can do it with that 15-8 stretch, but it has to start now.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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