John Schneider's comments put Blue Jays embarrassing series into perspective

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider took over as head skipper in the middle of the 2022 season after the team fired Charlie Montoyo, and he found some immediate success when he helped guide the Blue Jays to the postseason in 2022 and '23.

He's seemingly been on the hot seat since.

Schneider and the Blue Jays missed out on the 2024 postseason and are in the midst of an up-and-down season as we enter June.

The Blue Jays enter play on Monday with a 25-27 record, and there most recent series showed off the problems the team has. And Schneider didn't pull any punches when talking about said series.

John Schneider rips Blue Jays after series loss in Tampa

The Blue Jays were swept by their American East rival Tampa Bay Rays last week in embarrassing fashion. They were outscored 19-2 in all three games and suffered a demoralizing 13-0 loss on Sunday that was highlighted by multiple mistakes.

The Rays put Sunday's game away with a five-run seventh inning.

Schneider spent some time commenting on those mistakes postgame, as he said that he wasn't happy with his team's "careless mistakes."

One particular play that seemed to stand out was in the top of the second inning when Jonatan Clase got picked off at first base to end the top of the second inning. Not only did that pickoff end the inning, but it also meant that Chris Bassitt had to head back to the mound after Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot threw just four pitches.

"We didn't play up to our capabilities," Schneider said.

It's clear the Blue Jays didn't have it down in Tampa. Not only did the sweep drop them back under .500, but it also meant that they couldn't build on the momentum they had from sweeping the Padres earlier in the week.

The lone bright spot the Blue Jays got out of their lineup during the series was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s home run on Saturday. Their only other run during the series was scored on a double play on Friday.

While Blue Jays have flirted around the .500 mark for most of the season, this series is clearly the low point of their season.

They finished Saturday's game with an infield that was comprised of Addison Barger at third, Michael Stefanic at shortstop, Myles Straw at second and Ernie Clement at first. Stefanic then shifted to the mound for the final inning.

Although Straw playing second will be a fun trivia question one day, it's not the kind of move that a serious postseason contendor makes.

That said, the Blue Jays are still only three games back in the Wild Card race, though they are now behind the Red Sox and Rays in the AL East race. The Blue Jays are a talented team full of impact players, but their series against the Rays confirmed that they're not a complete team.

Like Schneider said, the Blue Jays didn't play up to their capabilities. We'll see if his roster is able to play to those capabilities this week against the Rangers.