Run support lacking for Ryu as Blue Jays 'need wins more than ever'

OAKLAND -- The Blue Jays surged back into American League Wild Card contention during their six-game West Coast road trip, but they'll be happy to be back in the friendly environs of Rogers Centre on Friday.

Toronto dropped the series finale against the A's at the Coliseum, 5-2, on Wednesday afternoon, falling short of a three-game sweep. The Blue Jays have won seven of their past 11 games, including four of six on their road trip to Denver and Oakland.

• Games remaining: vs. KC (3), vs. TEX (4), vs. BOS (3), at NYY (3), at TB (3), vs. NYY (3), vs. TB (3)
• Standings update: Toronto (77-63) maintained its half-game lead for the third AL Wild Card spot with Texas' (76-63) loss to Houston on Wednesday night. With head-to-head records serving as the first tiebreaker in the standings, the Rangers lead the season series against the Blue Jays, 2-1, with four games to be played next week in Toronto.

"You keep winning series, and that's what you want to do at this point," manager John Schneider said. "Would have liked another one or two [wins] on the road trip, but you get out of it 4-2, enjoy tomorrow and you get back after it at home."

The Blue Jays sent Hyun Jin Ryu to the mound, a veritable formula for success of late, as Toronto had won five of the veteran left-hander's six starts since he returned on Aug. 1 from his second Tommy John surgery.

That was not the case in the series finale, though Ryu put together another solid outing. The 36-year-old southpaw allowed a pair of runs on five hits and one walk over five innings, surrendering a two-run homer to A's catcher Carlos Pérez in the fourth.

"It's [his] first time on normal rest, so we were going to keep him a little bit short anyway," Schneider said. "He was dealing. He was absolutely painting the first few innings. Even the Pérez homer, it wasn't a terrible pitch, down and in."

Ryu has not exceeded five innings or 86 pitches in any of his seven starts as the Blue Jays monitor his workload. He has allowed three runs or fewer in six straight outings.

"Overall, I think I pitched pretty well today," Ryu said in Korean through an interpreter. "Even the one where the home run came off, I did locate where I wanted to. My command and everything else in general, again, felt pretty good."

But Ryu had a slimmer margin of error than usual to work with, as Toronto only mustered two runs on six hits and four walks.

Ernie Clement opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning, plating Cavan Biggio, who had led off the frame with a double. Rookie Davis Schneider's solo shot in the eighth chipped away at the A’s lead, but the Blue Jays were held scoreless the rest of the way.

Clement and Schneider -- both called up from Triple-A Buffalo in August -- have been sparks as Toronto seeks to punch a return ticket to the postseason.

"It's fun," Schneider said. "I mean, you have to go out there no matter what. Even if you're 50 games below .500, you still have to give 100 percent. So that doesn't really change, but it's fun to be in a playoff race and trying to give your best for your team."

The Blue Jays are nearing the end of a stretch of 15 straight games against sub-.500 clubs that began with a three-game set against the Guardians and will conclude with the upcoming weekend series with the Royals. So far, Toronto is 7-5 in that stretch.

The final weeks of the regular season bring multiple chances for the Blue Jays to control their own destiny, as four games against the Rangers and six against the Rays loom on the schedule.

Both season series -- and accordingly, the head-to-head tiebreakers -- remain up for grabs, though Toronto trails Tampa Bay by eight games for the top AL Wild Card spot.

But a lot can change in these final weeks, so long as the Blue Jays can find a way to consistently tap into their winning brand of baseball.

"We don't really have too many games left," Ryu said. "I mean, I'm not speaking just for myself. Every game's going to be very important for us moving on, and we need more wins than ever."