Is it time for the Toronto Blue Jays to do some soul searching? It's only May 8, but the Blue Jays results are starting to speak for themselves. Or at least, that's how former Blue Jays outfielder and fan favourite Kevin Pillar is assessing the situation. Speaking on his podcast Blue Bird Territory, Pillar says the three game sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays this week was reminiscent of some of the toughest moments he experienced as a major leaguer.
Pillar says, "You can just tell that the way that they sat in the dugout after the third game (in Tampa Bay) is the same way that I would sit in the dugout after losing a playoff series, with that feeling of 'what just happened?'" This came after the Blue Jays saw their record fall to 16-21 in a series in which they scored four runs across 27 innings and hit a collective .218/.262/.277.
"Obviously Vladdy (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) didn't have a good series and (George) Springer was not a huge part of it, just coming back from an injury and clearly not at 100%. There really just wasn't a lot of flow offensively. They had some great pitching though, aside from the eighth inning from (Tyler) Rogers (in the second game) but the guy has been a machine. I know he's a human being but the guy has been a machine, one run through 17 innings. Some teams are just going to get to him," says Pillar.
There's going to have to be a lot of looking in the mirror to figure out who the Blue Jays are as a team, says @KPILLAR4. pic.twitter.com/aowzFJkhKq
— Blue Bird Territory (@BlueBirdTerr) May 7, 2026
Pillar says right now, the Blue Jays just look lost and that doubt is probably starting to creep in. He says, " I think they're far enough into their season to not feel like it's fluky, but is this who we are? I know there's injuries, but they have to be thinking 'do we have enough time to right the ship?' I just think there is a lot of confusion and I think there is going to have to be some looking in the mirror individually and collectively and trying to figure out who they are as a team."
Blue Jays in a perfect spot to turn things around immediately
One thing this team can point to is that they have never had success at Tropicana Field. While that's not an excuse, it's just something that has followed the team around for their history against their division rivals. Now that that horror show is behind them, they get to come home to play a team they are much stronger against, on paper, and have the benefit of adding a potential game changing hitter back in their lineup.
This weekend series against the LA Angels, who are one of the few teams in the American League who do have a worse record than the Blue Jays at 15-23, are in town for a weekend series. They have allowed the ninth most runs in the league (184) and have the tenth worst team ERA at 4.47. It's a chance for the Blue Jays to tee off and re-establish some dominance in the pecking order.
Addison Barger is set to return to the lineup and while he was hitting just .058 in his first eight games of the season before sustaining an injury to both ankles, he has smashed two home runs in his rehab stint. The Blue Jays could use some of that pop and some of that rejuvenation.