The Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Athletics on Wednesday afternoon, 2-0, to fall back under .500 at 73-74 on the season. Because the Cleveland Guardians lost as well, Toronto remains just one game back in the American League wild card chase, but they missed a critical chance to pull even with 16 games to play.

After a tough series loss against the A's, the Blue Jays will be off on Thursday before starting a new three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night at Camden Yards.

In this loss on Wednesday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-3 with a walk. As noted by StatsCentre, he now has the sixth-lowest slugging percentage of any player with more than 500 plate appearances this season. His .352 slugging percentage ranks behind only Taylor Ward (.314), Xander Bogaerts (.318), Steven Kwan (.335), Jakob Marsee (.337), and Kyle Tucker (.350). The numbers for Tucker and Guerrero are especially appalling given how much money each player is being paid and their standing within the game.

In the absence of Anthony Santander (injury) and Bo Bichette (free agency), Guerrero was expected to be able to carry the offense, and he just hasn't been able to do that. He's hitting .260, which is a respectable batting average, but he has just eight home runs and 54 RBIs to go along with seven stolen bases. He's also carrying a .682 OPS. His OPS+ was just 90 entering the game on Wednesday, suggesting he's been a below-average offensive player this season.

While the Blue Jays obviously have a chance to make the playoffs and extend their season, the No. 1 question in the offseason will be about how to get Guerrero going again in 2027. Of course, when the lockout hits on Dec. 1, he won't be able to have any conversation with team staff to work through a plan.

--Blue Jays pitcher Jameson Taillon is having his elbow MRI looked at by outside doctors (Dr. Meister). 

Taillon, 34, is a 10-year veteran of the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Blue Jays who has gone 84-66 in his career with a 3.99 ERA. The Cubs designated him for assignment earlier this summer, only for the Jays to acquire him right around the time that they traded Kevin Gausman to Chicago.

He is 2-6 this season with a 5.65 ERA between the two organizations. His situation is fairly complex for a number of reasons. He's already had two Tommy John surgeries in his career, he's a free agent at the end of the season so he won't be rehabbing any injuries under the guidance of a medical staff, and because of the pending lockout, he won't have access to any medical personnel once it hits (Dec. 1).