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The losses are quickly adding up for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto now has lost four in a row and 14-of-17. Only the Kansas City Royals (20-45) and Baltimore Orioles (20-45) have worse records than Toronto's 23-42.
The Blue Jays began their six-game homestead with successive wins over the New York Yankees, but the growing pains of a young team were evident in the series against Arizona (34-32). Toronto was outscored 22-4 in the interleague three-game set.
WATCH | Blue Jays fall to Arizona again:
"We know if we play our A-game and play well we can beat the best teams in baseball, like the Yankees," Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. "If we don't play our best we can lose to anybody.
"We can't show up with our B-game or C-game. It's not going to work."
Wins in short supply
The Blue Jays are on pace for 57 wins this season, which would be their lowest victory total in a non-strike shortened year since a franchise-low 53 in 1979.
Montoyo has tried to remain upbeat with his young team through these difficult times.
"I've been through this before, and I know what it's like," he said. "I learned from it. I'm not going to be yelling at people. I don't want them to get tense. They're trying their best. That's all I can ask as their manager.
Montoyo recently took aside rookie second baseman Cavan Biggio and catcher Danny Jansen. He urged them to be leaders on the Blue Jays even though their two of the younger players.
Jansen, who's hitting only .175, responded with a two-hit game. His second-inning double pushed home a run to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.
"It's a tough game up here," Jansen said. "You have to learn how to hit up here as well. We're a team that is going to keep battling, no matter what the standings show or what our record shows. We're going to keep having joy in the game and keep fighting, and giving it everything we got."
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