Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider says he is still “optimistic” about his ballclub turning things around this season.
The Blue Jays enter Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox with a 45-52 record, which puts them seven games under .500 and in last place in the American League East.
Yet, despite the team’s struggles this season, the Blue Jays are still only 3.5 GB of the third and final Wild Card spot in the AL. With that in mind, Schneider says he is still optimistic the club can turn things around and make the playoffs this year.
John Schneider Still Believes in Blue Jays
Speaking to reporters ahead of the team’s weekend series against Chicago, Schneider said he still believes that Toronto can make a playoff push.
“Vibes change quickly in this game, and I think when you catch one of those streaks where you’re playing really well, you want to hold on to it as long as you can. And you never know what it’s going to be, you never know what win it’s going to be, or what play it’s going to be that’s going to give you some momentum, and hopefully you can ride the wave a little. But it shows that baseball is a really, really frustrating game at times, and it’s a really, really beautiful game a lot of times,” Schneider told the Toronto media in a scrum.
“So, you never know when it’s going to turn, and we’re always, I know I’m always, optimistic that it’s going to turn and it’s going to stay good for a while, and I’m hoping that’s the case here soon.”
Blue Jays Need to Go on a Win Streak
Although Schneider’s optimism is good to see, there is still no doubt that this Blue Jays team needs to go on a win streak soon, or else they are going to be in trouble making the playoffs in the American League.
While it’s true that the team is only 3.5 GB of the third and final AL Wild Card spot, the problem is that there are four teams ahead of them in the standings to catch that final spot, so the Blue Jays will have to play even better baseball than usual to overtake those teams and capture the final Wild Card spot.
It’s possible, of course, that the Blue Jays can catch fire and go on a long winning streak, which is what Schneider and Blue Jays management are praying for right now. After all, their AL East division rivals, the Boston Red Sox, just ripped off an 11-game win streak to put themselves in playoff position after being in the AL East basement for much of the year. So it’s certainly possible that Toronto can have a similar turnaround.
But with the trade deadline coming up, this team needs to get going right now, or else it’s going to be too late, and if the team can’t start winning consistently, management might be forced to sell off some veteran players.
Blue Jays Manager John Schneider ‘Optimistic’ About Turnaround