Blue Jays Fall To 34-38 After Two Ninth-Inning Losses — Toronto Blue Jays Standings
The toronto blue jays standings dropped to 34-38 after Toronto lost both weekend games to the New York Yankees in the ninth inning. The Blue Jays entered the final frame tied on Saturday and Sunday, then left with two losses that turned a split possibility into a sweep of heartbreak in the standings column.
Blue Jays and Yankees in the ninth
Saturday ended on a crushing home run, and Sunday followed the same pattern. Louis Varland allowed his first homer of the year in the ninth on Saturday, and Braydon Fisher gave up a home run to Ben Rice in Sunday’s final frame after Toronto had again taken the game into the ninth tied.
Those two swings erased what had been a chance to leave the series with better footing. Instead, Toronto took the weekend losses and stayed stuck at 34-38, with the same late-inning mistake showing up on consecutive days against the same opponent.
John Schneider on missed pitches
John Schneider pointed directly at the offense after the losses. “It’s getting a good pitch and not missing.”
He expanded on that point by saying, “I feel like we missed some pitches to hit — really, that was the biggest thing. … But when you’re playing tight games, you need to get them. You need to get those hits.” Toronto went 3-for-18 with runners on second or third across the two defeats, while it went 4-for-7 in that same spot in its one win in the series.
The numbers tell the same story from a wider angle. Entering Sunday, Toronto was batting.235 with runners in scoring position and had an 81 wRC+ in those situations, both near the bottom of baseball, with the club’s wRC+ ranking worst in baseball. That left the lineup without enough cushion to survive another late mistake.
Toronto bullpen workload
The bullpen has carried a heavy load while the rotation has been short on length. Toronto’s relievers had thrown 307 2/3 innings, the fifth-most of any bullpen in baseball, and Mason Fluharty, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman and Braydon Fisher were all among the top-20 in appearances.
Schneider said that wear shows up over time. “Over the course of time, it takes a toll on you a little bit,” he said, adding, “we’re asking a tonne out of those guys.”
That pressure has been compounded by a rotation built around five real starters, even though Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin were not hauling innings. Shane Bieber is expected to join after one more rehab start in Triple A, which could ease some of the strain on the group that has been asked to keep games tight until the ninth.
