Schneider: Sky isn’t falling for reeling Blue Jays as playoff odds stay intact

TORONTO — The Blue Jays have dropped six of seven after a 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on Wednesday, a result that tightens the race in the American League East as the regular season winds down. New York's Yankees won their fourth straight to pull even with Toronto in the division standings with four games left. Toronto manager John Schneider kept a calm tone, insisting the sky is not falling despite the skid and pointing to 90 wins that already assure a playoff spot. "It feels like the sky is falling right now and it’s f--king not," Schneider said, according to MLB.com. "We’ve got 90 wins, we’re in the playoffs and if the season ended today we’re winning the AL East. I want them to come in and not press. I want them to play confident."

Schneider also addressed on-field incidents involving players, tamping down talk of a bigger problem beyond the lineup. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was ejected after a dispute with umpire Gabe Morales, a day after George Springer was irate over two calls. "First and foremost, we’re not losing because of umpires," the manager said. "Let’s just get that out there. We’re losing because we’re not scoring enough runs." The ejection and the surrounding controversy underscored a frustration that has built as Toronto has struggled to generate offense.

Offensively, Toronto has been hamstrung by its run production. In Wednesday’s game, the Jays scored just one run—the second consecutive game with one run—marking the sixth time in a seven-game span they failed to score more than a run. Schneider emphasized that the issues aren’t attributable to officiating, but to execution at the plate, noting that the team needs to "play confident" to reverse the slide. The club remains in playoff position but has work to do to secure the division and build momentum for October.

With four games remaining, Toronto and New York each face a four-game finish and a chance to seize or relinquish the division lead. Toronto already owns 90 wins and has clinched at least a wild-card berth, but the margin in the AL East remains tight as the season ends. The Blue Jays’ fate will hinge on reviving its offense and avoiding a prolonged drought in the last series of the regular season as they head toward postseason play.