Pressure starting to build on Blue Jays after sweep by Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A sweep at Tropicana Field pushed the Toronto Blue Jays five games under .500 while their search for answers on offence continues.

Technically speaking, the 16-21 Blue Jays aren’t so far away from where they were a year ago this time. But just because the 2025 edition of the team rebounded doesn’t mean this version of the Blue Jays is entitled to a similarly exhilarating finish.

“It's not just going to happen,” Max Scherzer said Wednesday. “We're not just going to go out there and go on a crazy winning streak. We have to go make that happen. The rest of the league doesn't just lose on purpose. You’ve got to go beat them.”

In Wednesday’s series finale, it was the Rays who went out and beat the Blue Jays with a convincing 3-0 win. Despite a stellar start from left-hander Patrick Corbin, the Blue Jays managed just four hits to finish their road trip 2-5.

Speaking at field level before the game, Scherzer said the Blue Jays need to focus on doing their jobs – “not do more than your job, but just do your job.” Doing so on a consistent basis could allow the defending American League champs to get back to .500 and beyond.

“We're all going mad trying to figure out how to be consistently good,” Scherzer said.

Corbin did his part Wednesday, covering 5.1 innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits. He struck out just one before turning the ball over to relievers Braydon Fisher and Louis Varland, who kept the game close.

“I’m sure everybody’s upset,” Corbin said. “Like we should be. We’ve got an off day, but then we’ll look at some positives and try to move forward. It’s a good team over there. They pitched well this series. We’ve got to forget about it and move on.”

The left-hander has now pitched into the sixth inning in consecutive starts on his way to a season ERA of 3.60. At a time when Scherzer and Jose Berrios are both consulting with doctors to determine next steps, Corbin has helped stabilize the Blue Jays’ pitching staff.

“The more guys like that you can have, the better,” said manager John Schneider. “He’s been great. Just another good job by him.”

But the Blue Jays’ offensive struggles continued with only two singles and two extra-base hits, doubles by Kazuma Okamoto and Myles Straw. The return of Addison Barger should help Friday, but George Springer hasn’t gotten a hit since returning to the lineup Tuesday and the Blue Jays are still feeling the absence of Alejandro Kirk.

“He's a unicorn,” Schneider said. “Everyone loves Kirky and it's a hard spot to replace, for sure.”

After being swept for the first time this season, Schneider struck a measured tone while discussing the offence. In his view, it’s not time to panic or put undue pressure on any one player. But focused, productive at-bats up and down the lineup would go a long way towards revitalizing the Blue Jays’ offence.

“When you’re not scoring and you’re in it a little bit, there’s some anxiety and pressure that goes into each and every guy’s at-bats,” Schneider said. “The most important thing is to take that away.”

“Do your thing. Know what you’re good at. And then it gets contagious. As contagious as it gets when you’re pressing, it can flip in a hurry.”

As for injuries, Schneider said those can’t be an excuse. The way he see it, offensive results will return if each player stays relentlessly focused on doing their part at the plate, at-bat by at-bat and pitch by pitch.

“And then you get back to forming an identity, which I think we formed last year.”

Since hitting the injured list last week, Scherzer’s been watching closely. He knows from experience how much pressure there is to perform at this level. It’s not easy to beat the best on a nightly basis and Scherzer can tell his teammates are pushing for that extra hit or that extra out to shift the complexion of the game. Sometimes, it works.

“And there's also times where you’ve got to make your own luck,” he said. “You’ve got to go out there and you got to go take it to the other team. You can't rely on luck, you’ve got to go make your luck.”

At Tropicana Field this week, the Rays did plenty of that, limiting the Blue Jays to just four runs scored over three games. The same can’t be said for the visitors.

As the Blue Jays head home for a series against the Angels, there’s nothing to be gained by panicking. Yet each loss ratchets up the pressure on the remaining games. Instead of building on last year’s momentum, the Blue Jays find themselves searching for it.

“We’ve got plenty of season left, you know, but that's what has to happen,” Scherzer said. “We have to go out there and find a way to make our own luck and beat teams apart by playing great baseball the way we know we're capable of.”