The Toronto Blue Jays let yet another one slip away on Wednesday night.
Leading 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Blue Jays sent closer Jeff Hoffman to the mound against the lowly Los Angeles Angels. But Hoffman imploded for the first time as a Blue Jay, loading the bases before allowing a walk-off double to Jorge Soler.
It’s one step forward, two steps back for these Blue Jays, who now sit 4 1/2 games out of first place at 16-20. They had won three games in a row as of Friday, but they’ve now dropped their last four, two of which they led in the ninth inning.
Manager John Schneider knows his job is on the line this year. So are the jobs of President Mark Shapiro and General Manager Ross Atkins. So every losing stretch, especially one that felt avoidable, takes a heavy emotional toll.
After the game, Schneider seemed to let some of his emotions out, giving a colorful response to the team’s current four-game losing streak.
“This is a sh–y stretch,” Schneider said, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. “It’s a tough stretch. You know, guys are feeling it, but we’re in position to win every game.”
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Meanwhile, as the Blue Jays have seen their bullpen blow leads late, Schneider is stressing that he doesn’t even want Toronto to be in those situations.
“What I don’t want them to do is get used to these one-run games and expect guys to be perfect out of the bullpen,” Schneider said.
Time is already ticking on this Blue Jays squad. The wins have to start coming in bunches, and they can start by avoiding a series sweep against the Halos on Thursday.
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