Win or lose, the standings part of the Blue Jays’ push to the post-season seems to be taking care of itself these days.
Through a sometimes unsteady stretch recently, the Jays have managed to do slightly better than hold serve atop the American League East, thanks to the wilder inconsistencies of their closest pursuers, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
But as we saw during an underwhelming 3-3 road trip that wound up with a 5-3 loss to the Florida Marlins Sunday afternoon in Miami, there is work to do.
The Jays were unable to exact a sweep of the Marlins after running into a buzzsaw that is young Marlins hurler Eury Perez, just the latest in a string of top-notch starters they’ve faced.
Yet even in a loss against an inferior foe, they showed the grit that has defined them when Daulton Varsho ripped a three-run homer in the seventh to turn what appeared to be a sleepy lopsided loss into a much tighter ball game.
Yes, the Jays still won the series 2-1, but after dropping two of three against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the week they weren’t as sharp as they need to be.
The focus now as they embark on the final five weeks of what has been a terrific season thus far is twofold: Taking care of business to win the division and retain one of the top two seeds is the priority. But the Jays also need to clean up in a couple of areas to hit peak form at the end of September.
None of this is news to manager John Schneider, who is well aware that his team should be able to do better than .500 in a road trip through Pittsburgh and Miami.
With 31 games remaining, there are a few areas of at least mild concern, starting with the hard-used bullpen and the late-inning options to finish off games, a weak link of late. The offence has lagged on occasion and as stout as some of the pitching they’ve faced has contributed to that, there will be even heavier doses come playoff time.
That said, the longer the Jays keep humming along with a strong record (now 76-55 and 4 1/2 games up on the Red Sox and six on the Yankees prior to those two meeting Sunday night), the more opportunity they’ll have to fine-tune things during what amounts to more than a month of playoff prep time.
The following are some takeaways from Sunday’s loss as the Jays return to Toronto for a six-game homestand starting Monday against the Minnesota Twins.
Eury Pérez of the Miami Marlins pitches during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at LoanDepot park on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in Miami, Fla.
SUNDAY NO-FUN DAY
Facing Perez, a 6-foot-8, 22-year-old fireballer, was never going to be an easy assignment. After allowing a double to the red-hot Bo Bichette in the first, Perez retired the next 12 Jays batters he faced on his way to a stellar six innings of week.
After a four-hit Saturday, Bichette added a leadoff single in the seventh, which was followed by a walk from Ty France, chasing Perez (who allowed just three hits) from the game. That was the break the Jays needed, though, as Varsho, the first batter to face reliever Lake Bachar, pounced for his 15th homer of the season.
The big damage for the Marlins came off the bat of Jakob Marsee, whose bases-loaded triple in the fifth drove in three.
Those bullpen woes? When Yariel Rodriguez came on in relief of Kevin Gausman in the seventh, he got the first two Marlins batters out, but allowed a double, single and walk for an add-on Florida run.
The Jays may have one of the best winning percentages at home, but with Sunday’s loss the Jays fell to 34-34 away from the Rogers Centre.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. waits for his turn in the batting cage before a game against the Cleveland Guardians.
VLAD IS BACK
For a fifth consecutive game since sustaining what the team described as a minor hamstring ailment, Vlad Guerrero Jr. was not in the starting lineup on Sunday.
The all-star first baseman returned to action at a critical point of the game, however, pinch-hitting for France in the eighth inning.
With two on and two out and his team trailing by a pair of runs, it’s the type of big moment the Jays will count on from Guerrero down the stretch. In his first game action since suffering the mild strain Monday in Pittsburgh, Guerrero popped the ball up for an easy out to snuff the would-be rally.
The good news, though, is the sore hammy isn’t about to sideline Guerrero for any meaningful length of time.
RECOMMENDED VIDEOAROUND THE BASES
About those bullpen woes? With the bullpen hard used of late — especially in Saturday’s marathon 12-inning win — the Jays recalled Paxton Schultz for Sunday’s game, dispatching Mason Fluharty to triple-A Buffalo. Schultz came in to pitch a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit … Bichette’s double in the first was his 40th of the season … Gausman (8-10) took the loss allowing seven hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out seven.