Blue Jays hear it from home fans during lopsided loss to Royals

TORONTO -- Clinging to life in the AL Wild Card race, Thursday night couldn’t have been further from what the Blue Jays needed.

The 13-2 loss to the Royals dropped them to 3 1/2 games behind the Guardians, who had the night off, for the final spot.

This is what mattered most:

1. A low point in the season
The home crowd was already quiet heading into the sixth, then it completely fell apart.

Simeon Woods Richardson couldn’t find an out, with lasers shooting back the other way over and over again. Each time, the boos from the home crowd grew a bit louder. Toronto isn’t known as a baseball market that’s vocal in this way or hard on its own players, but in so many ways, Thursday’s loss felt different.

“For one, I understand. The fans are coming out every single night, which we love and appreciate,” manager John Schneider said. “There’s no better fans in the sport. That’s evident, the support we have from coast to coast. They’re entitled to their opinion. When you’re getting your ass kicked pretty good, they’re allowed to have their opinion. We love their support every night.”

That inning captured the dark side of this season so unfortunately well. With a gassed bullpen already needed after starter Spencer Arrighetti went four innings -- and an offense that hadn’t done a thing -- Woods Richardson had to wear it.

Every night, the Blue Jays pack over 40,000 fans into Rogers Centre. Every night, those fans hope to see the spark that launches a turnaround, but Thursday’s loss felt like a step backwards.

2. Nothing is going right for Guerrero
More batting practice and less of it, hitting off a tee and hitting outdoors, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has tried all of it lately. Still, nothing has unlocked him. There’s been no grand revelation.

“He’s been looking for something for a while now,” Schneider said. “He’s been doing a lot of work. I think it’s always good, when you’re looking for something, to try new things. He’s hit outside early a couple of times, but he’s looking for something to click and looking for something to hold onto and carry forward.”

It’s Schneider’s job to manage Guerrero as a person, not just a player. He’s been with Guerrero for nearly a decade now, back to their early days in the Minor Leagues together. He knows what makes Guerrero tick, but also what challenges him most. Schneider joked that he and the players can be good at “lying” sometimes, telling you they’re having a great day when they’re truly not, and he’s been working on that with Guerrero.

“He’s good at saying, ‘No, I’m good,’” Schneider said. “You have to keep asking him and break down that wall a little bit. The more you can be open and honest -- meaning him -- it probably makes it a little bit easier to get out of.”

The Blue Jays have 27 games remaining, but just 12 at home. Guerrero still hasn’t hit a home run at Rogers Centre this season, and he’s running out of time.

3. Arrighetti’s return is still a work in progress
Arrighetti is trying to figure this out on the fly, which isn’t an enviable position. He was traded from the Astros, an organization he was extremely comfortable with, and rehabbed a nerve issue in his right foot before returning to the big leagues last week with his new team. He’s still ramping up his workload and doing it in big league games now, but the Blue Jays no longer have the luxury of patience.

“There’s a lot going on,” Arrighetti said. “I’m still trying to establish myself as a Blue Jay. We’re trying to make a push and I’m trying to make some tweaks. There’s a lot.

“It makes your head spin some days. Other days, you’re convinced that you’ve finally found it. I think that’s the beauty of baseball. There’s always little things going on in the background and I handle it just by taking this one day at a time.”

Arrighetti allowed a leadoff homer, which set the tone for four innings of four-run ball (three earned). He got up to 79 pitches, which should leave him close to a “normal” workload his next time out, but that’s the lone bright spot from the evening.

The Blue Jays’ offense continues to put a strain on this pitching staff, demanding that it be nearly perfect to stay in games. For a pitcher like Arrighetti, who’s battling more than just the opposing lineup, that makes this game more challenging than it should be.