The Blue Jays and their woes

What a disappointing season for the Toronto Blue Jays!  Back in April, I was looking forward to the Blue Jays making another run at a World Series victory, or at least giving a good account of themselves in the playoffs. It's almost September now and my World Series dreams have vanished completely.  My wildcard playoff hopes are also fading rapidly.  With every loss, Toronto is digging itself  deeper and deeper into a hole.

Last night, the Blue Jays were crushed 13-2 by the Kanas City Royals.  The home crowd booed their team.  Even manager John Schneider admitted that the crowd  had the right to boo, and he acknowledged his team's poor performance.  The Jays have been drawing about 42,000 for every home game.  They have received a great deal of loyalty and support. The fans have every reason to boo.  You can be sure that attendance will go way down if this continues, especially if there is an MLB lockout in 2027.  

Blue Jay fans just want to see their team compete.  They don't always have to win, but their performance should not be so lacklustre.  All season, the Jays have teased us.  Just as they near the .500 mark, they start slumping again.  After the trade deadline, the injection of new players such aa Brett Bateman and Charles McAdoo seemed to add new life and spirit to the team.  Alas, it doesn't seem to have lasted.

Yes, the Jays have had a lot of injuries, especially to starting pitchers.  However, I never expected the magical 2025 season to turn into a forgettable 2026 season.  I never expected them to be in last place in the American East Division on August 28th with 65 wins and 70 losses.  I never expected Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to only have 7 home runs (none at home in the dome).  This is the most frustrating Blue Jay team in years, and Vladdy is at the core of the frustration.  This whole season has been one gigantic struggle for him.  Vladdy should have gotten out of his slump by now.  Something needs to change.  Why hasn't he been moved down in the batting order?  By the way, isn't it about time he stopped dousing his fellow Jays with Gatorade  It's getting tiresome.

I have seen enough of bullpen days.  Th Blue Jays may end up winning bullpen games that way, but the cost is far too high.  They wear out an already exhausted bullpen, especially when the starters seldom last past 5 innings. The situation was so bad last night that a position player, Myles Straw, had to take the mound to get out of the 8th inning.  

I am also sick and tired of the Jays leaving runners on the bases.  They rarely hit well in the clutch.  It's so frustrating to see a fair amount of hits and nothing to show for them.  Where is hitting coach David Popkins?  Shouldn't he bear some responsibility for the lack of clutch hitting and power hitting.

So, yes, I am in agreement with John Schneider.  The Blue Jays deserved to be booed lustily last night.

- Joanne