Jays' Schneider calm after latest loss: The sky's 'f-----g not' falling

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider isn't sweating despite a slump that's let the New York Yankees pull into a tie for first place in the AL East.

"It feels like the sky is falling right now, and it's f-----g not," Schneider told reporters Wednesday following the Blue Jays' 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. "We've got 90 wins, and we're in the playoffs, and if the season ended today, you're winning the AL East.

"I want them to come out and not press. I want them to come out and play confident, play fast, play loose. When we're doing that, we're really good."

The Blue Jays appeared listless at times during the defeat, managing only four hits and one walk against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who shut them out over eight innings. Toronto starter Max Scherzer, meanwhile, was hit hard for a second straight outing, allowing four runs on 10 hits over five innings.

The loss was Toronto's sixth in its last seven games, and the team has been outscored 44-13 over that span. Frustrations became clear when star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and hitting coach David Popkins were both ejected after Guerrero argued a called third strike in the seventh. Those ejections came one night after George Springer was irate with the men in blue over a pair of missed calls in Tuesday's loss.

"We're not losing because of umpires. We're losing because we're not scoring enough runs," Schneider said, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.

He added, "I don't want to feed into the narrative that the umpires are screwing us because they're not. We're not scoring enough runs."

Although the Yankees are now tied with Toronto for the division lead, the Blue Jays own tiebreakers over New York and Boston. The Jays have also assured themselves of playing postseason baseball, having clinched Sunday in Kansas City.

Scherzer, a former World Series champion with plenty of playoff experience, echoed his manager's feelings and thinks his team can right the ship over the final four games to claim the division crown.

"Baseball can flip in a heartbeat," Scherzer said, according to Sportsnet's Hazel Mae. "Things can change overnight for no apparent reason. So, when you look yourself in the mirror, you have to just know who you are."