The Toronto Blue Jays are experiencing a significant downturn at this time of year. They were touted as one of the better teams this season, but are now going through some major struggles. Now placed third in the AL East, Toronto once again faltered against the Diamondbacks in the series finale. And it’s one player’s error that probably cost them the game.
While the Blue Jays find themselves in a downward spiral, their $110 million star Kevin Gausman continues to struggle. Now manager John Schneider has called out Gausman after the loss to the Diamondbacks.
MLB insider Keegan Matheson shared a post on X, quoting Schneider. “When Kevin’s ahead, Kevin’s elite. Not getting there has been tough for him.” Per Matheson, Schneider believes that Gausman’s recent outings have been about the counts he’s getting into.
John Schneider believes that Kevin Gausman’s recent outings have been about the counts he’s getting into:
“When Kevin’s ahead, Kevin’s elite. Not getting there has been tough for him.” #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) June 19, 2025
Gausman gave away 17 earned runs across his five starts in June. He even walked 12 batters but managed to strike out only 23. But how did he perform in the last game that fetched him a wake-up call from the manager?
While pitching against Eugenio Suarez, Gasuman faltered massively. Suarez blasted off a two-run homer in his second inning. It was soon followed by another couple of runs in the third. Gausman gave away three more runs in the fifth inning too.
What’s more worrisome is Gausman’s inability to hit the perfect strike zones. Out of the 81 pitches he threw, only 46 were strikes.
While Gausman’s form is dwindling, Schneider has dropped a major update about the return of another pitcher. Can you guess who?
Blue Jays manager gives major update about their star pitcher
The Toronto Blue Jays’ are struggling with rotation issues. But there is a ray of hope as one of their star pitchers, Max Scherzer, is probably on the verge of making it back to the majors.
The 40-year-old is going well in the minors, with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and one of his best performances came against the Worcester Red Sox. In the 4 1/3 innings he pitched, Scherzer didn’t allow a single run but managed to strike out eight batters across the 75 pitches he threw. Eventually, his team was on the winning side as well.
“He always thinks his stuff is ready. It’s more the physical part with how he’s feeling during the outing tonight, tomorrow, and the days in between,” Schneider said about Scherzer, as per Keegan Matheson
Scherzer has a decorated career. The stats speak for themselves. He has gone 216-112, boasting a 3.16 ERA with 467 G and 3408 strikeouts with a 1.08 WHIP. Given Gausman’s struggles at the mound and the Blue Jays’ struggles in this crucial stretch of the season, his return will be a massive boost to the Blue Jays. However, it all depends on how his body reacts to the workload moving ahead.
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