Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider shared his reaction to his team botching a pivotal pickoff play to the Houston Astros.
In a 1-1 game in the top of the eighth inning, the Astros had a man at third base. Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman then threw a pickoff play to third base to try to get out Joey Loperfido, but he threw the ball away, as Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto was not expecting the throw to come to him.
Loperfido scored easily on the botched pickoff play, and the Astros added another run in the top of the ninth inning to win the game 3-1, and take the three-game series 2-1.
Following the game, Schneider explained what happened with the costly play that ultimately lost the Blue Jays the game.
John Schneider Explains Botched Pickoff Play
Speaking to reporters following the Blue Jays vs. Astros game on Wednesday, Schneider explained what went wrong with the botched pickoff play.
“John Schneider says that the botched pickoff play in the 8th was ‘some confusion with Kaz, who thought it was coming from the catcher.’ Schneider said it’s a planned play they have, but one they haven’t run often,” Schneider told reporters, as relayed by team reporter Keegan Matheson on X.
Schneider said it’s a planned play they have, but one they haven’t run often. #BlueJays
Blue Jays Drop 2 Games Below .500
After losing the three-game series to the Astros, the Blue Jays are now 39-41 as they approach the official halfway point of the season on Thursday night against the Texas Rangers.
This is not the record the team expected to have at this point in the season, given how well they played last year, when the Blue Jays won the American League East and went to the World Series, losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
During the offseason, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins went out and spent a ton of money to try to improve his team. While some of his free-agent signings have really paid off so far, such as Okamoto and starting pitcher Dylan Cease, for whatever reason, the team just hasn’t really clicked so far, and that’s why they are below .500.
One of the biggest problems this year has been the struggles of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays’ franchise player, who shockingly only has 4 home runs at the halfway point in the season. That’s not what anyone expected him to have at this point in the season, especially since Schneider refuses to move Guerrero out of the top of his batting order.
Ultimately, though, it’s a team game, so the Blue Jays’ struggles aren’t all Guerrero’s fault, though he’s certainly not helping. The team has also dealt with tons of injuries, especially to its pitching staff, that have put extra pressure on the bullpen, which appears tired and overworked.
The good news for Toronto is that the AL is so weak this year that they actually control the third and final Wild Card spot with their 39-41 record. But this team has so much more potential, so let’s see if they can break out in the second half.
John Schneider Reacts After Blue Jays Botch Pickoff Play to Astros