Blue Jays know they're running out of time for Red Sox run (as Fenway showdown looms)

The Toronto Blue Jays should be getting all the rest and relaxation they can during the All-Star break, because once it's over, it's giddy up time. The Blue Jays have to hit the ground running and come out of the break like a team that's actually desperate to win some games.

The reigning AL Champions hit the pause button on their season at 45-51, a far cry from where they would have liked to have been. It's something manager John Schneider acknowledged to reporters following the team's 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday (Jul. 12). He said, "We'll see a lot about ourselves when the break's over."

Meantime, Kevin Gausman, who started that game for the Blue Jays and somehow got through six innings and allowing only three earned runs, said, "It's kind of make or break. We got to start playing better."

Gausman got into trouble in the bottom of the second. After the Blue Jays jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Nathan Lukes solo home run, the Blue Jays' starter loaded the bases, walked in a run, and gave up a couple of hits, but limited the Padres to just three runs in the inning. He also struck out eight batters on the day.

The Blue Jays also overcame the 3-1 deficit and were leading 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth before Jeff Hoffman allowed two runs to score and the Padres took a 5-4 lead into the ninth. The low scoring, blown lead, not being able to cash in when they need it storylines of that game have perfectly encapsulated the Blue Jays' first half of the season.

When you do those three things consistently, you're not going to win a lot of ball games. The Blue Jays rank 24th in team OPS with runners in scoring position. They have 12 blown saves on the year (17th in the league) and are one of just five teams to not score at least 395 runs before the break (27th with 392).

They'll play the Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in their first three series out of the gate. That's two teams that lead their respective divisions (White Sox and Rays) and another who goes into the break on a nine-game heater.

Blue Jays have blown their chances, now everyone else seems to be picking up the pace

Injuries played a huge part of the Blue Jays first-half story. They didn't really get healthy until June, and even then, they have still struggled to maintain a fully effective five-man starting rotation, while several rookie players have had to pick up the slack offensively. But they've also had Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the line up all year, and his .262/.346/.357 slash line with six home runs just won't cut it.

They were ahead of the Red Sox for most of the season, but Boston has stormed back into relevancy by winning nine in a row and enter the break with a 46-48 record, a few games ahead of the Blue Jays.

But they aren't the only team who was behind the Blue Jays at one point that has now surpassed them. The Blue Jays lost series recently to the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. Those teams were chasing down the Blue Jays in the Wild Card hunt, and now find themselves ahead of Toronto.

By the time the Blue Jays get to that series at Fenway, they may be looking at 2026 as a lost season, and could be formulating their best way to execute a sell off at the trade deadline to recoup some prospects for guys on expiring contracts.

But internally, they are hoping for the exact opposite. They are hoping that they can find themselves on a Red Sox-like run by the time they meet up with Boston and have a shot to regain some ground in the divison and Wild Card series in that showdown.

They haven't been able to show they are capable of an extended winning streak just yet, but if there was ever a time to make it happen, it would be as soon as the All-Star break concludes.

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