SACRAMENTO \u2014 The scene following the end of Wednesday\u2019s loss was one that only Sutter Health Park could produce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the conclusion of a disappointing 2-0 loss to the Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays<\/a> players and coaches made the slow walk across the field toward the clubhouse behind the left-field fence of the\u00a0minor-league\u00a0stadium. Heads down, equipment in hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n Losing a series to the A\u2019s, a club with the second-worst record in the American League, no doubt stung in that moment, and now the Blue Jays will have 48 hours until their next game to think about it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a frustrating way to end the otherwise pretty good road trip,\u201d said Blue Jays manager John Schneider.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the loss, the team concluded its nine-game, three-city road trip through Cleveland, Kansas City and Sacramento with a 5-4 record. Yes, they took two out of three from the Guardians, securing a tiebreaker, yet losing two of three to the A\u2019s certainly feels like a missed opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Blue Jays remain one game behind Cleveland in the American League wild-card race after the Guardians also lost on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Right-hander Braydon Fisher opened the bullpen game for the Blue Jays, and the club\u2019s relievers largely did their job in holding the A\u2019s down, with the exception of Michael Lorenzen surrendering a solo home run to Henry Bolte in the third inning and allowing another runner to score on a wild pitch in the fourth.<\/p>\n However, the Blue Jays\u2019 offence was mostly lifeless throughout the contest, mustering just six hits in what was essentially a bullpen game for the A\u2019s. In the fourth inning, Alejandro Kirk didn\u2019t score from second base on Ernie Clement\u2019s soft single to centre field, while in the fifth, the Blue Jays put runners on first and third with one out when right-hander Scott Blewett induced a double play from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/a> to escape the threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n Guerrero Jr. swung at the first pitch, an outside cutter that he weakly grounded back to the mound.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn every situation, not just him, everyone, when you have some traffic out there, it’s just getting a good pitch to hit,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cI think that no one wants to do that more than Vlad. And a lot of times, him or anyone, it’s kind of waiting for a pitch you can do a little bit more with.\u201d<\/p>\n The manager was asked about the team\u2019s energy level.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was fine,\u201d he replied. \u201cThis is a tough place to play. It’s the ninth game of a tough road trip and it’s definitely a different atmosphere here, but I thought the guys were ready to play and just didn’t get it done today.<\/p>\n \u201cNot making any excuses for where we’re playing or who we’re playing,\u201d\u00a0he continued, “but definitely tough here on 12 o’clock game, nine (games) out of nine (days), too. So, wish you played a little bit better, but you gotta regroup tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n