The AL East race just got a whole lot more fun. Here’s why… On the same day the Blue Jays dropped a game to the Red Sox, the Yankees pulled off a walk-off win against the White Sox. And that combo trimmed the gap between the Jays and Yanks to just a single game!

So, for Toronto, most of the blame for this slide falls on the offense as they’ve been stuck at one run or less in five of their last six outings. Sure, there were some questionable calls in that Red Sox game, and George Springer even went so far as to suggest it was all part of a sabotage to give the Yankees an edge. But now, with that bombshell stirring the pot, manager John Schneider has stepped in to share his own perspective.

“It’s not a big conspiracy theory against us,” Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson cited Schneider. “The Blue Jays don’t have time to be worrying about umpiring at this point. It’s them against themselves, nothing else,” Matheson further added.

Well, two major botched calls on Wednesday went against the Blue Jays, but what about the games before that?

The Blue Jays’ cold offense recently could be an interesting case study despite being one of the best offensive lineups. On paper, they rank fifth in runs per game (4.90), lead the majors in batting average (.266) and OBP (.334). But the numbers tell a different story in September. Reportedly, the Blue Jays’ OPS has dipped to .699, their lowest since March/April, when they slumped to a .657 mark and a 14-16 record.

And the struggles have been obvious too… Notably, in their last six games, the Blue Jays have managed more than four hits only once. Even yesterday against the Red Sox, they scratched across just one run while Max Scherzer gave up three runs in the first inning. So, with stretches like this, it’s hard to argue with John Schneider. He’s right that the Jays aren’t being sabotaged by anyone else. They’re sabotaging themselves. “I don’t want to feed into the narrative that the umpires are screwing us, because they’re not,” Schneider added.

The Blue Jays’ silver lining lies with the returning sluggers

Despite the recent cold bat of Toronto, all is not lost for the team. Courtesy: Anthony Santander and Bo Bichette.

For the unversed, Santander finally made his return to the Blue Jays’ lineup on Wednesday against the Red Sox. Activated off the 60-day IL on Tuesday, Santander had been dealing with a left shoulder injury. Yesterday’s game saw him jump right back in as the designated hitter.

Meanwhile, there’s encouraging news on Bo Bichette. Schneider said the All-Star shortstop has started swinging in the cage, getting some work in on both Monday and Tuesday. Reportedly, before spraining his left knee on September 6, Bichette was having an excellent year. He was hitting .311 with 18 HRs, 94 RBIs, and an .840 OPS across 139 games. So, upon his return, the Jays might look a bit better, but that’s not before the postseason kicks in.

The hope is that with Santander back and Bichette working his way toward a return, the Jays’ offense could look a lot sharper by the postseason. But the big question is: what happens between now and then? With Santander just shaking off the rust and Bichette not yet in rehab games, the current lineup has to carry the load if Toronto wants to stay in the AL East race.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Yankees sneak ahead. And as Schneider put it, it’s on the Blue Jays to decide if they really want to win.