Tim Maiza had just hit Bryce Harper with the bases loaded to get out of a seventh-inning jam, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had responded with a no-doubt, three-run home run. With their best relievers rested and two innings to go, the Blue Jays were in a good spot. But Yimi Garcia promptly allowed three runs and Matt Vierling would later walk off Adam Cimber with his fifth hit of the night as the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 4-3 in a 10-inning game that took four hours and eight minutes to complete. A strong start by Kevin Gausman went to waste and a wild streak at Citizens Bank Park ended in disappointment for the Blue Jays. “Just a tough night,” Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider said. “You always feel good with a three-run lead and the back of our bathrobe. It didn’t work tonight.” Admittedly, the Blue Jays bullpen has been better over the last two months, with closer Jordan Romano in particular providing remarkable consistency. But he now has two shutout streaks dating back to Sunday’s series finale against Baltimore. And while Cimber came in with a ghost runner already in second, he couldn’t get away. Anthony Bass, meanwhile, didn’t pitch at all, but Snyder said the right-hander was available. The Blue Jays simply preferred other relievers than Bass, who pitched last Friday against the Orioles. If anything, the timing of this slump comes at an inopportune time given the importance of the games ahead. “We rely on those guys a lot,” Gausman said. “It will happen. It’s baseball. This time of year, you don’t want to think about it too much… just wash it off and move on.” Earlier, Guerrero Jr. looked like he had given the Blue Jays all the offense they would need. With runners on the corners and nobody out in the top of the eighth inning of a scoreless game, Guerrero Jr. crushed a 99 mph pitch from Seranthony Dominguez 429 feet into the left field seats for his 30th homer of the season. These power numbers are perhaps easier to overlook than they should be. Hitting 48 homers last year, Guerrero Jr. he has shown that he is capable of more. This year, that potential has not been fulfilled. At the same time, he entered Wednesday’s game with a 134 OPS+, which means he’s 34 percent better than league average at the plate, adjusting for season and pitch. Among the hitters with a lifetime 134 OPS+: Mookie Betts, Prince Fielder and Fred McGriff. That performance doesn’t match what Guerrero Jr. accomplished. last year, but it still places him among the top offensive players in the game. As Schneider said: “Big bat for Vladdy.” Meanwhile, Gausman allowed just five singles while walking two and striking out eight against a tough Phillies lineup. His stuff was lively, with a fastball that topped out at 98.4 mph and a splitter that produced 11 swings and misses. Additionally, he worked smoothly with Alejandro Kirk, who returned to his spot behind the plate after a sore left hip led to an eight-day layoff from catching. Thanks to a Rays loss, the Blue Jays stayed even with Tampa Bay, but the Yankees swept the Pirates, which means the Blue Jays fall to 6.5 games back in the AL East. At this point, each Yankees win pushes the division title further away and increases the possibility of a three-game wild-card series. “Everybody’s checking the scoreboard and paying attention,” third baseman Matt Chapman said Wednesday afternoon. “For us, every game is a must-win. … That’s the mentality right now that we win every day.” Of course, it doesn’t help when the Yankees make improbable comebacks like they did Tuesday, when Aaron Judge hit home run No. “We’re paying attention,” Chapman said. “Watching what Aaron Judge does day in and day out is impressive. He is a great player. It’s fun to watch. Unfortunately he’s leading this team that’s in front of us right now … that’s how tough this division is.” Meanwhile, two players suffered problems on the left side on Wednesday. Santiago Espinal left the game with left side discomfort, while Gausman stretched his left arm in an attempt to block a second feed from Guerrero Jr., only to overstretch his glove side. Afterwards, he said he felt good physically despite the awkward game. From here, the challenge only intensifies as the Blue Jays head to St. Petersburg, Florida for four games against the Tampa Bay Rays, the team chasing the Blue Jays in the wild card race. Since Tampa Bay holds an 8-7 advantage in the season series, the Blue Jays will need to win at least three of four against the Rays to secure the tiebreaker advantage if the teams finish the season with identical records. And while there’s a chance he could finish third and lock up a first-round matchup with the AL Central winners, Chapman doesn’t see it that way. The Blue Jays are 43-32 at Rogers Center this year, and there’s more comfort at home, too. Even though the Blue Jays are now overwhelming odds to make the playoffs, they are concerned with how they get there. “No matter where we end up, we want to host,” Chapman said. “We want to play in front of our home fans. We know how well we play at home and how much fun it is to have our fans behind us. I’ve played on the road in the playoffs before and it’s tough. It’s always nice to have the home crowd, so we really want that.” Ideally, the Blue Jays would make sure these four games at the Trop are their last.
