TORONTO – The period leading up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline is proving tough in several ways for the Toronto Blue Jays. Off the field, the front office faces challenging and emotional decisions about potential trades, while on the field, players are working hard to regain their form despite uncertainty hanging over them.
“The biggest thing is you can’t play timid, you can’t play on your heels and you have to meet adversity head on,” said manager John Schneider. “And the easiest way to do that is go play free and go play loose. Again, everyone understands where we are in the season, where we are and the standings and all that kind of stuff. You have to block that out and you have to try to get yourself in the best compete mode that you can. … The biggest thing is just embracing that it’s going to be hard and trying to meet that challenge head on.”
They aimed for this mindset Wednesday when they took their first lead since Saturday’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, but ultimately fell short again with a 4-2 defeat against the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite a good start featuring a double from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. off the right-field wall following a Nathan Lukes walk leading to George Springer’s run-scoring groundout, their offense struggled once more as Daulton Varsho misplayed a Yandy Diaz drive in center field, which opened the door for three crucial runs in the sixth inning.
Alejandro Kirk hit the first home run for the Blue Jays since Friday when he launched a cutter from Cam Booser over left field in the seventh inning, marking one of few bright spots along with Spencer Miles throwing 3.2 shutout innings thanks in part to two outstanding defensive plays by Nathan Lukes in fifth.
To tackle seven left-handed hitters stacked against him, Miles increased his four-seamer usage while reducing his sinker usage looking for more swing-and-miss opportunities against an opponent focused on making contact. It paid off as he struck out four batters while allowing three hits-an impressive outing from a Rule 5 pick who has exceeded expectations.
“A lot of stuff being brought to me and then your mid-week bullpen, just working on stuff that maybe didn’t go as well as you’d planned in the prior outing, and then deploying what worked in the bullpen and then what’s feeling good that day mixed in with the scouting report,” he said of how he approaches game-planning. “It’s a combination of things, for sure.”
The situation felt all too familiar amid their current slide of 7-17 which has dropped them down to 46-56; now their playoff chances sit at just 7.6 percent according to Fangraphs-each loss making it tougher for them to find freedom needed for turning things around.
“I think we’re all pressing,” said starter Kevin Gausman, who could be highly sought after as trade talks heat up. “You can see Vladdy – Vladdy’s definitely pressing. It’s like everyone’s trying to fix our season in one at-bat or one outing. When you’re chasing results up here, it’s just not going to happen. You’re kind of fighting an uphill battle if you’re trying to push the envelope and make things happen.”
“As opposed to last year when we were all loose and just playing for each other and kind of letting the cards fall where they may,” Gausman continued. “There’s a hidden belief in that. We just don’t have that right now. It seems like every time we get guys in scoring position, they’re pressing even more. And I get it-everyone wants that big base hit so badly because they want it turned around quickly! Pitchers feel similar pressure too-it’s been rough lately… I don’t know what else there is left unsaid; this situation stinks for great people who truly want success for each other here! Hardly feels real how far away we seem compared last year during World Series!”
All they can do now is keep pushing forward toward reclaiming their earlier form while navigating through trade deadline dynamics surrounding them.
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