Blue Jays stray from 'who they are' in four-game losing streak

BOSTON -- There will be no love songs written about Wednesday’s game, no statues erected and no murals painted upon the red brick walls of Boston.

Toronto’s 8-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park was messy, riddled with the errors, balks and bad bounces that are typically left in Florida at the end of Spring Training. Neither side played a beautiful game of baseball, but it seemed to pile up quicker on the Blue Jays as they dropped their fourth in a row, dulling the shine of the six-game winning streak that came just prior.

“We’re not going to let this dictate the rest of our year,” Alek Manoah said. “We know the way we’ve played the last couple days hasn’t been who we are.”

These peaks and valleys will come and go, but some of the individual trends are worth more attention in the moment.

Manoah battled through five innings, looking far sharper before a 112.5 mph comebacker smacked him on the lower left leg in the bottom of the fourth. From that point, Manoah’s pitch count rose quickly to 103, and he got just three swings and misses from the Red Sox all night. That’s one shy of his career low, and while Manoah is always comfortable letting the ball get put in play, it can’t all happen that way.

Manoah has pitched beyond five innings just twice in his seven starts, leaving him with a 4.71 ERA. This isn’t what anyone expected coming off a third-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting last season, but Manoah has earned the trust that he’ll bounce back. Besides, the Blue Jays didn’t exactly play a perfect game around him.

“When you’re in a little bit of a funk, you grip the bat a little tighter or the ball a little tighter,” said manager John Schneider. “You want to make sure it stops, and that’s the wrong way to go about it. I have all of the trust in the world in these guys, both on the mound and defensively. Right now, it’s just time to stop it right here and get out of it.”

Looking out at the AL East standings on the Green Monster, you won’t find a losing record among the five teams. These all matter, even in early May.

Star players, star moments

Look at these two rosters. Boston is talented, but the casual baseball fan is going to recognize a few more names on Toronto’s side of the sheet. Bo Bichette tried desperately to will the Blue Jays to a win in Tuesday's opener, going 5-for-5, but even that wasn’t enough.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took his turn Wednesday, launching a towering 450-foot home run over the Green Monster. It was a Vladdy classic, complete with the cool, casual flip of the bat and a choreographed trot around the bases. It felt like the moment that could have flipped the Blue Jays back in the right direction.

One fine candidate to join the parade? George Springer. At this point, the star right fielder is overdue.

“I think it’s just one game that’s going to get him back,” Schneider said. “He’s probably getting a little pull-happy at times. His work today was awesome in the cage. I think that it’s just a matter of time for him. He went through a tough stretch with some tough luck, but it’s really just a matter of time for him to come out of it and be that spark plug at the top.”

Blips in the bullpen

Through late April, Toronto’s bullpen pitched brilliantly. This won’t surprise you, but that’s changed recently.

Anthony Bass was first out of the bullpen Wednesday, and he allowed one run on three hits, including a comebacker that looked a little too close to the one that plunked Manoah. Bass now has a 7.71 ERA on the young season, a departure from his reliable innings of 2022.

“It’s missed locations and not staying with what has made him really good,” Schneider said, “which is his fastball and slider. It all comes down to execution for him. He’s trying to go sinker away to [Connor] Wong and he yanked it in. I think that’s been the overall theme when things don’t go well.”

With Nate Pearson already contributing, the next option from Triple-A Buffalo isn’t as automatic. Adam Cimber is still working back from the IL while Jay Jackson and Trent Thornton are experienced 40-man options, but this entire conversation would be easier if the bullpen, like the Blue Jays as a whole, shakes off the week that’s been.