On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays lost the final game of their three-game weekend set against the New York Yankees, 4-3, with veteran starter Max Scherzer taking the loss after allowing four runs in 4.1 innings. Scherzer was outdueled by Max Fried, who held the Blue Jays offense in check across seven innings (allowing just three runs), and as a result, the Yankees have pulled to within two games of Toronto in the AL East standings with 19 games remaining in the regular season.
The Blue Jays' lead over the Yankees (and Boston Red Sox) in the division has slowly been dwindling over the past few games, and this series loss won't help matters whatsoever for Toronto in their quest to secure the division crown. Nonetheless, Scherzer, who's seen it all and more in his successful big-league career, is not fretting the pressure that New York and Boston are putting on them.
“I love where our team’s at. I love the mentality. I love the guys and how we come together. We all believe in each other and we’re all going to pick each other up. I’m glad I’m on this team,” Scherzer said, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
There is no reason for the Blue Jays to panic; being composed is what got them the AL East lead to begin with. A hot streak in the middle of the season did not come from pressing, but rather from letting the game come to them. And while the series defeat to the Yankees is far from the best outcome, it is not the end of the world — and Scherzer is certainly reacting accordingly.
Alas, there is going to be no rest for the Blue Jays; while they will be heading home, they will be hosting a division leader in the Houston Astros, which should make for another incredible test of mettle for this Toronto squad.
Blue Jays offense sputters in final two defeats to the Yankees
The Blue Jays have one of the best offenses in MLB; they have the fourth-best offense in the entire league, having scored 715 runs through 143 games, but they were quiet to end their three-game set against the Yankees, scoring just four runs total.
On Saturday, they were quieted by Luis Gil and the Yankees' bullpen, scoring just one run. And then on Sunday, they couldn't put together much of anything against Fried. Perhaps a trip back to the friendly confines of Rogers Centre would jolt that offense wide awake.
