The next time someone wants to talk about a soft spot in the Blue Jays schedule, hit mute.
And if you don’t, expect Toronto manager John Schneider to do it for you.
What was anticipated (by some) to be a midweek walkover against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates turned into a meek effort by the visiting Jays, who dropped two of three to the NL Central basement dwellers in a series they best forget quickly.
An indifferent afternoon Wednesday at PNC Park, one that resulted in a 2-1 loss, finished it off for the Jays. At least they are still (somewhat) comfortably atop the AL East standings, but it sure felt like they squandered an opportunity to enhance that status.
To add a little dig to the proceedings, the main damage was done by the Pirates’ Tommy Pham, who did his talking at the plate rather than chirping on the diamond and social media.
A two-run double in the first inning by the Pirates outfielder gave them all the runs they would need, quickly erasing a home run by George Springer, the first batter of the game.
The Jays were their own worst enemies, however, managing just three hits against a Pirates team that had a minus-88 run differential entering Wednesday’s game.
There will be no panic for a Jays team well versed in letting a poor effort be forgotten not long after the final out. But the three-gamer has to feel like an opportunity frittered away, despite all the good they’ve done, to build on a 74-54 record and what at game’s end had them 4 1/2 games up on the Yankees for the division lead.
That said, it’s the fourth time the Jays have dropped a series to a last-place team this season, an annoying blip in their overall record. In July, they dropped two of three to the Athletics and three of four to the Orioles. In June, they lost two of three to the White Sox.
None of those results — including the most recent one — are a cause for concern, of course. But they have to be at least an irritating development for a team that can smell the opportunity it has created for itself by having so much success against better teams.
Some takeaways from a rough one in the Steel City, a sleepy affair in which neither team managed a run beyond the first inning.
Eric Lauer of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning of their MLB game against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre on Aug. 16, 2025, in Toronto.
STARTER SHUFFLE
Schneider’s managerial skills are being put to the test with healthy bodies coming back into the fold, the latest being Shane Bieber’s scheduled Blue Jays debut on Friday in Miami.
With the initial decision to extract Eric Lauer from the rotation, it’s easy to conclude that he is the odd man out.
Not so fast. Schneider told reporters in Pittsburgh that it is a “mostly fluid” situation, while adding that Lauer would be available out of the bullpen on the weekend. Of course, if he isn’t used that also means he could slip back into the rotation as soon as the next time through if needed.
The eyebrow-raiser would be that Jose Berrios, struggling of late, is back in for Saturday. But the Jays and Schneider have such respect for the professionalism of Berrios that they likely believe he’s earned the right to work his way out of those struggles. For now, anyway.
Let’s just say that the Lauer move may have been the first one, but likely won’t be the last. And remember that of those in the rotation, the left-hander is the best-equipped to work out of the bullpen.
Chris Bassitt of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pa.
BASSITT BARKS
The bright spot on the afternoon was clearly the work of Jays starter Chris Bassitt, who made his latest case to be an important cog in the rotation going forward.
The veteran right-hander went 5 2/3 innings, matching a season high with 10 strikeouts from his 107 pitches thrown. Bassitt limited the Pirates to just six hits, two of them to Pham.
Making his 26th start of the season, Bassitt was steady throughout, but couldn’t get any run support from his light-hitting teammates.
Though they were held to only three hits, the Jays came a few feet away from tying it in the ninth when Alejandro Kirk belted a shot to centre field that was hauled down at the wall by centre-fielder Alexander Canario.
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The Jays wisely kept Vlad Guerrero Jr. out of the lineup for another day as he nurses that tender hamstring. Schneider told reporters before the game that Guerrero was feeling better. While it’s possible that the all-star first baseman could be back in the lineup Friday in Miami, it’s unlikely that the Jays are going to rush him back into action until they’re completely comfortable the issue is behind him … With the revamped rotation — for now — Bieber will get the ball for that much-anticipated start Friday followed by Berrios Saturday and Kevin Gausman for Sunday’s finale of the three-gamer in South Florida … As for Lauer, the lefty told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson that he’ll be back in the rotation the next time through. Who gets rested when that happens remains to be seen.