Victory was so close that the Toronto Blue Jays could almost taste it. The Jays were trailing behind the Reds with just 1 run after the eighth inning, and then in the top of the ninth, Bo Bichette’s go-ahead two-run home run delivered a Hollywood-like ending for the Jays with a 4-2 lead.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Tommy Nance started for the Jays and allowed a leadoff single. After that, Brendon Little entered and surrendered another single, then a double, and at the end, Reds’ Noelvi Marte shut down the game 5-4 with a walk-off single.

It was the third bullpen collapse in their last four games. Chris Bassitt, who started the game and went 6 brilliant innings, allowing just 2 runs in 5 hits, said, “I know there’s probably a lot of hatred, so to speak, on the bullpen. But I mean, those guys are tired”. Even manager John Schneider tried to stay positive, saying, “I’m never going to doubt the guys. The life of a reliever is tough. You’ve got to have a short memory. This is the big-leagues, man. This is no joke.”

After seeing the continuous collapse, Podcaster John Kiner-Falefa warned the AL East division leader’s manager on X. Falefa wrote: “The Toronto Blue Jays bullpen as it stands right now will be the main reason this team loses the division and in the playoffs. 2021 vibes but worse.”

His warning has merit, as the bullpen’s ERA jumped from 3.57 (eighth-best in MLB before the All-Star break) to a troubling 5.60 from the break through August 27, second-worst in the majors behind only the Rockies.

Just a few days ago, when they held a 4-3 lead over the subpar Twins, closer Jeff Hoffman came in to pick his 29th save and surrendered two home runs and four runs, and ended up the match with a 7-5 loss.

And this collapse stung more from their recent memory of 2021, when the team missed the postseason by a single game despite their strong 91 wins. There may be many reasons for that, but the most glaring one was the meltdown of relievers. The relievers, who were third in baseball with a 2.52 ERA, struggled and had a collective ERA over 4.40 monthly.

A look at the individual numbers will reveal a deeper problem

Key pitchers like Yariel Rodriguez and Louis Varland have struggled, posting ERAs of 6.43 and 5.65, respectively, over recent stretches. Brendon Little, who excelled in the first half, posted a high 5.27 ERA and issued 10 walks. Even elite closer Jeff Hoffman has recorded a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings. Other bullpen contributors like Seranthony Dominguez and Braydon Fisher have also posted ERAs above 4.00. Only Tommy Nance and Mason Fluharty have been consistent, with ERAs of 1.08 and 3.38.

And with this ‘house of cards’ bullpen, injuries of key relievers Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin multiplied their problem n times. Still, the strong starting rotation, including Shane Bieber, and the veteran trio of Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt, is one of the reasons the Blue Jays are still in first place with a thin margin of 2.5 games over the Yankees.

Most crucially, with a three-game series against the rival Yankees from September 5-7 looming over their head, the question remains: Can their starters carry them to the finish line?