"The season's getting short": Blue Jays manager Schneider preaching urgency from struggling roster

In one sense, the Toronto Blue Jays are well on track to make the playoffs.

FanGraphs projects them at 86% chance to qualify for the postseason, and more importantly, they’re holding onto an ever-important wildcard spot.

In another sense, well, they’re slipping down the standings, and not exactly looking great while doing so, having scored just seven runs in their last four games.

The Blue Jays are 3-7 in their last ten games, and have fallen from a comfortable lead in the first wildcard spot to now holding on to the third and final wildcard berth.

Currently, they’re just 1.5 games up on their divisional opponent, the Baltimore Orioles, who beat them 7-3 yesterday in the first of a three-game series.

“It’s more urgency than patience right now,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider told the media following yesterday’s loss. “The season’s getting short.”

Their .535 winning percentage has them on pace for 86 wins, a way off of last year’s 91-win performance that still didn’t qualify them for a playoff spot (albeit under a different postseason format).

And it’s just a touch ahead of their .533 winning percentage in 2020, largely viewed as a developmental year for the organization. If it feels like the Jays have something more to give, well, they probably do.

“Playing in sync is important, and right now we’re not doing that,” Schneider said.

The Jays have 11 games left against the Orioles, including their final three of the regular season. If nothing else, those three fateful series could be the difference between a postseason berth and a long, long offseason.

Starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had another tough outing on Monday, lasting just 3.1 inning before getting pulled. In 20 starts with the Jays, Kikuchi has a 4-7 record with an ERA of 5.25 and 91 strikeouts this season.

“It’s frustrating for him,” Schneider said. “It’s frustrating for us… everything’s on the table.”

With Kikuchi’s struggles, the Jays and Schneider are figuring out their options as to how to manage that once-every-five-days spot that has seen the Japanese starter pitch six innings or more just once in his last 13 starts.

“I think having options and having other guys that can step into roles is a good thing,” Schneider said. “And, you know, we’ll figure that out.”

With star pitcher Alek Manoah on the mound, the Blue Jays are back at it tonight with another game against the Orioles, with first pitch set for 4:07 pm PT/ 7:07 pm ET. And if Schneider’s Jays hope to live up to their manager’s wishes of urgency, storming back to win the next two and take the series could have major implications come postseason time.