Baseball is best at offering surprises, and we really meant it. Just check what’s happening in the AL East and you will agree with us. Just a week ago, we were confident that the Blue Jays were winning the division title, and it’s the battle for second place among the others. A week later, things look like this: The Blue Jays have 89 wins, and the Yankees have 86 wins. Yes, a meagre 3-game difference. And just when the Jays are giving up at the last minute, the blame is on their franchise cornerstone, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Well, for the second straight day, the Blue Jays came up short against the Tampa Bay Rays, this time in a 4-0 loss on Thursday. The setback trims their cushion over the Yankees to 3 1/2 games, with New York set to play Friday night. So, any celebration for the AL East title is going to have to wait until next week. Yes, the Jays are still in full control of their destiny, no doubt about it, but the sluggish offense led by Guerrero isn’t exactly helping speed things up. It was bad enough that even the Blue Jays manager, John Schneider, called out the lineup.

“I think he kind of just gave that at-bat away against Kelly. Vlad is one swing away. He’s one swing away basically all the time … We let things snowball here a little bit the last two days,” MLB insider Keegan Matheson quoted Schneider.

Check the overall picture of Guerrero, and you’ll find nothing wrong. He’s hitting .300 with .392 OBP and 23 HRs, and that’s surely not a bad thing, honestly. However, things blew up in his last few games. Reportedly, over his last five games, Guerrero is hitting .150 with no extra-base hits, and has just 2 hits in his last 20 at-bats.

Hence, the manager’s message wasn’t aimed at just one at-bat, but it was a reminder that urgency has to run through the entire clubhouse. And yes, there’s plenty of reason for urgency now. The Yankees are closing the gap and will get their next three games against the last-place Orioles. So, the Blue Jays need to be ready because the Bombers could be breathing down their necks soon.

Offense is what’s putting the Blue Jays down

The winning campaign for the Blue Jays this year just couldn’t have a worse time to get halted. Apart from Guerrero, the entire hitting lineup is faltering on the eve of the postseason, and surely it looks like the Jays are missing Bo Bichette. Even though after Bichette’s left knee injury, the Jays got a 7-3 record, their offensive numbers took a brutal hit. For reference, Guerrero hadn’t hit a homer since September 5, and it’s now 12 games for him without a home run.

Hence, it’s now evident that the Blue Jays’ offense just hasn’t been able to find its rhythm in the big spots, especially when facing playoff-level pitching. The swing-and-miss problems that seemed fixed earlier in the year are sneaking back in, thus leaving this top-heavy lineup looking shaky at times. Guerrero is still putting up numbers overall, but as the guy in the middle of the order, when his approach slips, it tends to show up on the scoreboard.

Well, amid all this chaos, there’s some positive news coming out of Buffalo. Anthony Santander, rehabbing with the Triple-A Bisons, is all set to return to MLB. Now, with the Bisons’ season wrapping up on Sunday and the Blue Jays starting their final homestand on Tuesday against the Red Sox, the timing could be just right for Santander’s first big-league game since May 29. The last hope for the Blue Jays to pull up their struggling offense.