Blue Jays can't take heat. But was it legit excuse for no show against Rays?

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In the aftermath of the carnage leading to the Blue Jays latest three-game losing streak, the team is taking some heat about … the heat.

Following Sunday’s 13-0 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, the Jays most lop-sided loss of the season, manager John Schneider spoke to media in Florida and lamented about the challenges of playing in excruciating conditions.

The game, played at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa in temperatures that topped 32 degrees but would have been significantly higher at field level, was clearly uncomfortable for both teams.

Just as apparently, it affected the visitors more. Toronto starter Chris Bassitt appeared to struggle at times, lasting just four-plus innings, wilting through a 25 pitch second inning and never truly recovering in the scorching environment.

But was playing in the heat of the Rays temporary home after the roof was blown off Tropicana Field by Hurricane Milton in the winter an excuse?  Certainly not a legit one for such a one-sided defeat in a stadium visiting teams have had some success in thus far.

“I think that today was the first time, half way through the game that the environment creeps into your head a little bit,” Schneider told reporters in Tampa following Sunday’s non contest. “It’s tough. It’s really hot. The environment is just different.

“I don’t want to say we’re spoiled, but everyone has earned the right to play in the big leagues at a big-league ballpark so I think that creeps in a little bit today.”

That was surely frustration combining with an over-heating for the manager, whose team seems incapable of developing any positive traction when it flirts with success. Schneider, by nature, isn’t an excuse maker and we’re guessing his seat on an air-conditioned charter plane with a cold beverage in front of him couldn’t have arrived soon enough after three hours in the cauldron.

While it couldn’t have been comfortable, Sportsnet studio analyst Joe Siddall wasn’t buying it as a rationale after watching the Jays getting blown out in the minor league stadium that also serves as the New York Yankees spring training venue.

“Can we stop talking about the heat?” Siddall said on the Fan Morning Show with Ben Ennis and Brent Gunning on Monday. “It’s Florida in May … everybody knew it was going to be hot. Everybody knew all season long when the Rays played at home it wasn’t going to be great.

“I can’t stand hearing about the heat. The other teams (visiting the Rays this season) seemed to be able to put the ball over the fence. You can’t get caught up in that stuff.”

The wildly inconsistent Jays were caught up in something as they lost in embarrassing fashion to finish a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rays, a performance that let the air out of the positivity of a a three-game home sweep of the San Diego Padres that preceded it.

On Sunday, the Jays managed just four hits and didn’t advance a runner past first for the entire game. After putting up 24 runs in the three wins over the Padres, the Jays managed just two over 27 innings against the Rays. That lack of steady production at the plate continues to dog the middling team.

The putrid weekend ended the Jays dalliance with living above the .500 mark, dropping their record to 25-27 and a tumble from second to fourth place in the tight American League East.

Blaming the weather seems to be a stretch, however, given that even after sweeping the Jays, the Rays have a modest 16-18 record at their less than desirable home park.

“That team was not ready to play baseball and that’s just not acceptable at the big league level,” Siddall said.

To be fair, Schneider wasn’t blaming the loss solely on the conditions — he also called out some sloppy play on the base paths by his team and said the team needs to find a better way to be more consistent, one of the biggest failings of the Jays thus far. That transparency is important to note as it’s also clear that his team wasn’t able to adapt to the point of being competitive in the finale of the three-game series. That too, is baffling, given the significance of a matchup against a division opponent that now owns a 5-1 record against them this season.

The Jays six-game road trip continues with a Memorial Day matinee against the Rangers in Texas with Kevin Gausman getting the start for the Jays.