Blue Jays' John Schneider Sends Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Message as Yankees Near

The Blue Jays have struggled throughout the final two weeks of the season and, entering Thursday, are in danger of being swept by the Boston Red Sox. Guerrero was ejected during Wednesday's 7–1 loss after a strikeout in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he has begun to slump at the plate and pressure is mounting to return to form.

Ahead of the series finale, Blue Jays manager John Schneider sent a message to Guerrero regarding his approach at the plate, “He needs to turn it loose. He needs to try to hit some balls hard and not say ‘I need to get a hit.’” (h/t MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Must Return to Form to Earn First-Round Bye

Although Guerrero’s numbers on the year remain impressive, Schneider’s message relates to his recent struggles. Over his last 13 games, the right-handed slugger is batting just .229 with a .552 OPS and zero home runs. During this time frame, the Blue Jays have seen their division lead disappear, as the New York Yankees are entering Thursday with an identical 90–68 record.

The Yankees have picked it up at the right time, winning four consecutive games, while the Blue Jays have dropped two in a row. Although Toronto owns the tiebreaker, they still must at least match the Yankees over the last four games of the regular season to take the division. The winner of the AL East will likely bypass the wild card round with a top-two seed in the AL, making the final stretch incredibly important for playoff positioning.