TORONTO -- The American League East just got a little too interesting.
Moments before the Blue Jays lost, 4-1, to the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, José Caballero looped a single into center field to score Aaron Judge, a walk-off win for the Yankees. Oh, how quickly things can change.
The Blue Jays’ lead in the American League East is just one game, the smallest lead they’ve held since July 3. They hold the tiebreaker over the Yankees, so this isn’t quite as scary as a “one-game lead” sounds, but there’s nothing comfortable about it. The Yankees are facing the White Sox, too, and while that young club is playing better baseball in the second half, they’re still sitting dead last in the American League while the Blue Jays are stuck facing AL Cy Young Award candidate Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.
“It’s crazy how there’s 162 games and it always comes down to the last week,” said Kevin Gausman. “It’s nuts. I don’t know how it always happens that way.”
Let’s keep it simple. Here are the scenarios you need to know:
- If the Yankees go 5-0 … the Blue Jays need to go 4-1
- If the Yankees go 4-1 … the Blue Jays need to go 3-2
- If the Yankees go 3-2 … the Blue Jays need to go 2-3
- If the Yankees go 2-3 … the Blue Jays need to go 1-4
- If the Yankees go 1-4 or 0-5 … the Blue Jays win the division regardless of their record
“We know it’s going to come down to the wire,” manager John Schneider said, “and we’ll continue to stay focused on what we have to do rather than anyone else. We’ve got another tough pitcher tomorrow in Crochet, so you’ve got to come ready and not say ‘woe is me’ about anything. Every game is going to be important.”
The fix isn’t complicated. The Blue Jays need more from their offense, which has been held to one or zero runs in five of the last six games. Schneider didn’t see any connection between Tuesday night’s loss and their low-scoring losses on the road, but at this time of the season, there’s not much time left for patience.
Perhaps the return of Anthony Santander is the surprise jolt this lineup needs, but the Blue Jays have always been at their best when every single player on the roster is contributing. That’s what’s been missing this week, and with the clock ticking on this tight AL East race, it’s time to revive that identity.
The pressure is on, but Schneider doesn’t want his players to feel the weight of it. That’s when it all goes wrong.
“I don’t really see it as a test. Yes, these games are really important, but I think that when you’ve done it quite a bit, it kind of becomes natural and you just keep doing it,” Schneider said. “We know we’ve got five games left and we’ve got a one-game cushion to try to win the division. I don’t want to say we’re playing with house money -- we’re not -- because the goal is to win the division.”
Coming into Tuesday, clinching the division as early as possible was the priority. In a dream world, the Blue Jays would clinch the division by Friday at the latest, and a bye through to the ALDS would surely come along with that. Doing so would give them the weekend to rest starters, get certain pitchers one last outing and feel out any remaining roster questions. Bo Bichette needs all the time he can get, too, making that bye past the Wild Card Series 10 times more important.
As the night ends, though, the Yankees are just one game behind and the Blue Jays’ tiebreaker advantage can only protect them so much.
This is going to be the most entertaining baseball of the season, but the Blue Jays don’t want anyone else having too much fun.