Clement on Blue Jays' wild-card chase: 'Every game's a playoff game at this point'

Detroit Tigers' Kevin McGonigle, left, dives back into second base ahead of the tag from Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) on a pick-off tag attempt during first inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker

TORONTO — It wasn’t just that the Toronto Blue Jays lost badly. The timing was bad too.

Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single was all the offence Toronto could muster in a 10-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. The defeat put the Blue Jays two games back of Cleveland for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League after the Guardians rallied past the Chicago White Sox 7-6.

The Texas Rangers’ 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox later Tuesday moved them half a game ahead of Toronto in the playoff chase.

“I think you just have to find a way,” said Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement on how to stay positive with 10 games left in the regular season. “You have to find a way to come back with energy tomorrow and just take one game at a time right now.”

Toronto (75-76) lost the first two games of its three-game series with Detroit (71-79) with the finale on Wednesday afternoon. After climbing back into the AL’s wild-card hunt, the Blue Jays stumbled and have lost five of their last eight.

“I think we’re playing pretty good baseball,” said Clement in the quiet of Toronto’s clubhouse at Rogers Centre. “Today, obviously, it was not our best, but we’re fighting back. We’re swinging the bats well. We’re pitching really, really well. We’re playing great defence.

“I think you just flush this one and get back to it tomorrow.”

Reliever Braydon Fisher was the opener for Toronto’s scheduled bullpen day. He was followed to the mound by Brendan Cellucci, Michael Lorenzen (3-13), Brendon Little, Spencer Arrighetti and Joe Mantiply.

Manager John Schneider had said pre-game that he hoped Arrighetti would have the day off but, with a pivotal series starting in Texas on Friday, he decided to think big picture.

“You’re asking a lot out of guys in the bullpen, so looking ahead, we kind of pivoted a little bit, and Dylan (Cease) is going to start first game in Texas, and then Jose (Soriano),” said Schneider of his bullpen management strategy. “So it put Spencer available today, and we needed a couple innings out of him tonight.”

Max Scherzer (2-8) will take the mound Wednesday when Toronto concludes its series against Detroit. Keider Montero (9-8) was named the Tigers’ starter.

“Every game’s a playoff game at this point,” said Clement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press