Blue Jays Manager Hopes Toronto Comes Ready To Face ‘Tough’ Garrett Crochet

The Toronto Blue Jays know they will have their hands full against Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.

Toronto lost the series opener 4-1 to the Red Sox on Tuesday and now will face Crochet on Wednesday. The left-hander has been dominant this season, and Blue Jays manager John Schneider knows getting after Crochet won’t be easy.

“We know it’s going to come down to the wire,” Schneider said after the game, via MLB.com. “We’ll continue to stay focused on what we have to do rather than anyone else. We’ve got another tough pitcher tomorrow in Crochet, so you’ve got to come ready and not say ‘woe is me’ about anything. Every game is going to be important.”

Crochet will be starting his third game against Toronto this season. He’s 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA; however, both of his starts against the division rival came all the way back in April.

The Blue Jays’ offense is also struggling, as Toronto has been held to one or zero runs in five of the last six games.

Toronto did activate slugger Anthony Santander from the injured list on Tuesday, so perhaps he returns to the lineup on Wednesday against Crochet.

Regardless of what lineup Toronto fields, Schneider knows the offense has to be better if the Blue Jays are going to win the division.

“We know we’ve got five games left and we’ve got a one-game cushion to try to win the division,” Schneider added. “I don’t want to say we’re playing with house money — we’re not — because the goal is to win the division.”

The Blue Jays are 90-67 and one game up on the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL East.