{"id":681204,"date":"2026-05-20T05:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/681204\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T05:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T05:06:11","slug":"blue-jays-search-for-identity-continues-as-chances-slip-away-in-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/681204\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays’ search for identity continues as chances slip away in loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2013 New York, the Jay-Z song goes, is a concrete jungle where dreams are made of, where there\u2019s nothing you can\u2019t do, which seems to make it a fitting spot right now for a Toronto Blue Jays<\/a> team still working out what exactly they are this year.<\/p>\n

Last year, they needed about two months before really finding themselves, particularly at the plate, becoming a pesky, high-contact team capable of getting to slug, underpinned by solid pitching and spectacular, stingy defence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their game was clear, distinctive and they fulfilled some dreams in the Bronx last October.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not the same team we were last year,\u201d said centre-fielder Daulton Varsho<\/a>. \u201cWe have to find a different identity than what we were because obviously there are different guys in the clubhouse, different lineup. So understanding who we are now, we have to get that identity to come out. I thought (Monday in a 7-6 loss to the Yankees) and the Detroit series were really good for us, where it’s like, OK, we’re getting to an identity. We don’t really know exactly what that is yet, but we’re starting to have really good team at-bats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting to the point where that flows more than it ebbs is the challenge of the moment, one that continued Tuesday night in a 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Blue Jays pressed Will Warren and put together the type of inning they did so often in 2025 during a pesky fourth, when they plated three runs on four singles, a walk and a sacrifice bunt. But they didn\u2019t add on there despite having runners on the corners and one out, came up empty first and third with one out in the first and couldn\u2019t punch through with men on the corners and two outs in the seventh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They plated one in the ninth on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.\u2019s sacrifice fly, but left the tying and go-ahead runs on for the second straight night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we’re all talking about is if it’s not going to be continuous hits or productive ABs and adding on, there needs to be some slug, there needs to be some extra-base hits or a home run with guys on. So it’s figuring that part out. That’s kind of where we are,\u201d said manager John Schneider. \u201cI never question the guys’ effort and their prep, kind of just seems like we’re kind of stuck in the middle there where you can either get a little separation or add on in a different way. But when you get all singles, it’s tough to make that sustainable, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yankees, meanwhile, know exactly who they are and delivered to type, using two big swings \u2013 a Ryan McMahon three-run shot in the fourth that tied the game 3-3, and Ben Rice\u2019s decisive two-run drive in the fifth \u2013 to spoil an otherwise dominant display from Dylan Cease<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Especially frustrating for the right-hander is that three of his four walks scored on the homers. He allowed just four hits while striking out nine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shot myself in the foot with those (walks) and they put some good swings on some balls,\u201d said Cease, who didn\u2019t mind the location on a 2-0 fastball up and in to Rice, but noted that \u201cwhen you’re falling behind like that, it’s playing a dangerous game.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second straight setback dropped the Blue Jays back to a season-worst-tying six games below .500 at 21-27 and scoring runs won\u2019t get any easier in the remaining two games at Yankee Stadium. Trey Yesavage starts against Cam Schlittler and his 1.35 ERA on Wednesday, while Thursday, Spencer Miles will either start or pitch behind an opener against Carlos Rodon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Varsho led the offence with a career-best four hits, scoring the Blue Jays\u2019 first run in the third on Yohendrick Pinango\u2019s RBI single, and has quietly been on a heater over the past 10 games, during which he\u2019s 16-for-39 (.410) with a homer and six RBIs.<\/p>\n

Schneider bumped him up to third Tuesday, behind George Springer and Guerrero, as he continues to seek out \u201cthe right set of pockets\u201d for production in his batting order. Over the next couple of weeks, when Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk could potentially return from injury, that process should become somewhat easier as the Blue Jays begin to look more like they planned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the time being, though, \u201cthe best way to put it is, OK, who’s playing the part of so and so that’s not here, and how do you have to attack that spot,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cRight now, trying to get Vlad going and trying to get George going and try to get them up as much as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the second straight game, that meant at-bats in the ninth with a chance to change the game for both, set up by grinding plate appearances by the bottom of the order. An Andres Gimenez walk and pinch-hit single by Ernie Clement, who didn\u2019t start due to strep throat, set the stage for Springer, who lined a ball off Camillo Doval\u2019s glove for the first out, and Guerrero, who drove a ball to deep centre for a sacrifice fly that made it 5-4.<\/p>\n

Varsho then ripped an infield single to put runners on the corners for Kazuma Okamoto, who grounded out to short to end it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeed a hit,\u201d said Schneider. \u201cWith where we are right now, or just in general, you want to keep adding on, whether it’s a bunt, whether it is a hit, whether it\u2019s a sac fly, whatever it is. Every run is precious. Had a chance to keep going there, didn’t, and then the guys are grinding to the end. It was eerily similar (to Monday), same guys coming up and things like that, seems like we’re kind of just one hit away or one play away right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Varsho\u2019s gotten to his hits of late by simplifying his approach at the plate, feeling like he\u2019d been too focused on how teams intended to attack him and too locked in on a set plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

At times, being rigid in the box makes sense, as \u201cthere are certain teams, certain guys that locate to a certain spot so you have to clear them out of a certain spot. But,\u201d he added, \u201cmore than likely pitchers are going to make mistakes and it’s just trying not to miss that mistake. And so when I was trying to hunt for that certain spot and I got a pitch that I should hammer, I was missing it and that’s what was making me frustrated. So overall, just trying to not think so much and just go be reactionary.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he flows, others are trying to work out of their ebb, although the past week has been better, even if the results are not. That\u2019s why the late rallies, even when they go for naught, matter, because eventually, the Blue Jays trust that will turn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re just getting down on ourselves a lot lately and I think (Monday) was a great game for us even though we lost, it just showed the fight that we had and doing what we’ve done in the past that really works,\u201d said Varsho. \u201cNow it’s just trying to do that consistently. Fighting every at-bat, having a good team at-bat and not trying to be the guy trying to hit the home run.\u201d<\/p>\n

In doing so, counterintuitively, the home runs should come, and while the streets in New York can make you feel brand new, the Blue Jays are still trying to get there.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2013 New York, the Jay-Z song goes, is a concrete jungle where dreams are made of,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":681205,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":["post-681204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/681205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}