Another costly loss for the Blue Jays

If a team is trying to make the playoffs, do you think it's a good idea to go lose a series in Sacramento?

Me neither.

Yet that's exactly what the Toronto Blue Jays just did, having dropped Wednesday afternoon's game in California.

Losing 2-0 in a game without a starting pitcher (a “bullpen day”) isn't the end of the world from the perspective of what happened on the mound.

Losing four out of nine games on a road trip lasting more than a week isn't the end of the world either when you look at the big picture.

But seeing the offense fail to get going today is serious.

And seeing that, in the race for the playoffs, the team went on to lose two games in three days against the Athletics of… Somewhere—that's even more serious.

As I write this, the Blue Jays are 1.5 games out of the playoffs, tied with Texas. The Rangers are playing this afternoon.

Then, tonight, the Guardians (1.5 games ahead of Toronto) and the Orioles (2.5 games behind Toronto) will face off.

So the Blue Jays could wake up two games away from the playoffs tomorrow morning.

It's worth noting that there are just over two weeks left in the Blue Jays' season. That's 15 games and five three-game series.

It will start with a homestand against the Orioles and the Tigers.

After that, the road trips to Texas and Baltimore could define the club's season, right before the home games against the Reds.

Stay tuned, then.

• Willson Contreras will play for Double-A Portland on Friday.

• Will Adley Rutschman be in action on Friday?

• Anthony Volpe: An Option for the Yankees.

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