Wednesday marked the third straight night where the Blue Jays were embroiled in umpire disagreements. Yet, manager John Schneider didn’t hold the umpires responsible for the team’s constant losses. “We’re not losing because of umpires. We’re losing because we’re not scoring enough runs.” Schneider clarified after their latest 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

With the Blue Jays trailing 4-0, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was ejected for arguing a called third strike. It marked the Dominican first baseman’s first ejection since August 2019. The frustration bubbled over in the seventh inning. After taking a pitch from Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet, Vladdy looked at the home plate umpire, Gabe Morales.

He pointed at where he felt the pitch landed, pressing Morales for a reason. And just like that, Guerrero Jr. was tossed out of the game immediately.

The 26-year-old has struggled mightily in the last 13 games. With an OPS of .541, it marks the lowest across any 13-game stretch for him this season. It was addressed recently when Kevin Barker called him out for his lackluster performance.

“He’s seen some good pitching. This is the worst.” Guerrero Jr. has been much more consistent and powerful earlier this season. But now?

Guerrero Jr. is showing signs of fatigue at the plate, which was also pointed out recently during the Blue Jays Today Podcast. Further, Barker added, “Sometimes he’s going to look like the best player on planet Earth. Until he gets a plan B, it’s going to kind of look like the 13 games.” Going by that, Vladdy needs to change his approach.

When he signed an extension in April, he showed he can be elite. Now that it’s been two weeks (his last 13 games) and he hasn’t been able to deliver, the contrast hurts even more.

“Most of the time, it is Vladdy either getting himself out or a pitcher executing, and him either wanting to be in a hurry with his at-bats or all of that stuff,” Barker pointed out. Lately, he’s either swinging too early or chasing bad pitches outside the strike zone. The timing isn’t there, and he’s unable to get extra base hits.

Guerrero Jr. has posted a .295 average with 23 home runs and 83 RBIs across 152 games this season.

Now, it’s the timing that couldn’t get any worse. His slump has coincided with the Blue Jays’ slide from leading the AL standings alone to now sitting tied with the New York Yankees. The club has lost three of its last eight games, and across those eight games, Guerrero Jr. has gone 4-for-29. Still, manager John Schneider is trying all he can to cheer up.

Manager John Schneider trying to remain calm amidst the Blue Jays’ woes

The Blue Jays now have a tiebreaker advantage over the New York Yankees. After Wednesday’s loss, the team has lost six of the last seven games. Meanwhile, the Yankees are doing well, securing seven of their last eight games and erasing a five-game deficit.

Following consecutive losses at Rogers Centre against the Boston Red Sox, Blue Jays manager John Schneider didn’t entirely lose optimism to win. “It’s been a rough week for us, but there’s a game (Thursday night) and we have to figure out ways to score,” he remarked.

Rough is an understatement for the way the Blue Jays’ bats have gone cold in the recent stretch. Except for Sunday’s 8-5 win against the Kansas City Royals, the Blue Jays have produced only five runs across their last seven games.

Plus, their issues with the umpires are derailing their momentum. First, on Tuesday, a hit by George Springer was ruled to be a foul ball. Then, on Wednesday, along with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., David Popkiks was ejected for arguing with the umpire.

For years now, the Blue Jays have only made the playoffs through a wild-card spot. All along, the Yankees and Red Sox ruled the division. This season was meant to be their big break to shift the odds and win the East for the first time since 2016. But will that stay a dream only?