The Blue Jays have suffered through two gut-wrenching late-inning collapses against the Angels, leaving manager John Schneider visibly frustrated and searching for answers.
On Tuesday, Toronto carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth before the Angels erupted for six runs to win 8-3. Wednesday’s loss cut even deeper.
The Jays built a 4-1 advantage through six innings and still led 4-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth. That’s when Jorge Soler delivered the knockout punch – a bases-clearing double that gave the Angels a stunning 5-4 walkoff win.
Bases: cleared
Game: overJorge Soler with a wild #walkoff for the @Angels! pic.twitter.com/hsHW3A5s7z
— MLB (@MLB) May 8, 2025
Schneider didn’t hold back in his postgame comments, letting a curse word slip while addressing reporters.
“You got to turn the page. And as s***** as it is right now, sorry for cursing, you get to do it again tomorrow, and we got to be ready to play,” Schneider said, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.
The frustration in Schneider’s voice was unmistakable as he continued with a colorful analogy about his team’s performance.
“We’ve been operating with three round wheels and one square wheel..it’s not quite there, and when it gets there, you forget about this..right now, you want to try to just get the h*** out of here, go to bed, wake up and start all over,” he told Hazel Mae.
The losing streak now sits at four games, dropping Toronto to 16-20 on the season. They’ll try to salvage the final game of the Angels series on Thursday before heading to Seattle for a weekend set against the Mariners.
What’s particularly concerning is how these losses are happening. The bullpen that looked so promising early in the season has faltered in high-leverage situations. The offense has shown life early in games but hasn’t been able to add insurance runs when needed.
The Blue Jays won’t return to Rogers Centre until May 13, giving them several more road games to right the ship. But if these late-inning collapses continue, Schneider might need more than just a good night’s sleep to fix what’s ailing his club.
