Nearing the end of their 40th seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are about to kick off what might be their most significant series against each other since they joined Major League Baseball together in 1977.
The Jays started their west-coast swing with a pair of wins in Anaheim versus the Angels, but—due in no small part to some mental lapses in the field and on the bases—the best Toronto could manage in southern California was a split of the four-game set.
Now, they head north to face the Mariners in what’s suddenly a battle for the second Wild Card berth. The M’s trail the Jays by two games for the final playoff invite, so this week’s three-game series will feature some high-stakes baseball between the 1977 expansion cousins.
Here are some things to keep an eye out for:
Monday, Sept. 19, 10:10 p.m.
Marco Estrada vs. Taijuan Walker
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 10:10 p.m.
J.A. Happ vs. Hisashi Iwakuma
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 3:40 p.m.
Aaron Sanchez vs. Felix Hernandez
Seattle surge
Though they dropped two of three versus the Houston Astros over the weekend, the Mariners are on a roll, having gone 9-2 in their past 11 outings. The Jays, by contrast, remain mired in a September swoon with just five victories in their past 16 contests. Toronto has 13 left on the calendar and they’re all against quality clubs. Seattle hosts the Jays and visits the Astros, but also benefits from sets against the lowly Minnesota Twins and Oakland A’s.
Batters up
For about 13 months, the perception around the Jays has been that they can trade offensive blows with anybody. Right now, they need to recapture their mojo. Toronto scored just a single run during the final two games in Anaheim and that’s symptomatic of bigger problems in the box. These guys didn’t suddenly stop being good players; it’s on them to dig in and figure out a way to emerge from the collective haze.
Fight back the frustration
Nobody likes losing, especially in the heat of a pennant race. The frustration leaked out a little on Sunday night, when manager John Gibbons went to bat for his boys:
Let me tell you something: There’s not a guy out in that room that is not busting his ass trying to come through. Sometimes it is what it is. Show up tomorrow, like they always do. They’re human beings. I don’t care how good they’ve been, nobody likes to struggle. It’s a pressure business. These guys are right there in the arena, not on the outside looking in. It’s a battle and the reason they’re here is that they’re great competitors, talented guys. Sometimes you run into a road block and you struggle.
Nothing wrong with a little emotion. We’ll see if it provides a spark.
Balanced approach
Seattle has demonstrated equal competency on both sides of the ball this year. The offence—which has sent an American League-high 54 players to the plate in 2016—has generated 4.75 runs per game. That’s the fourth-best mark in the AL and the exact same figure posted by the Jays. On the hill, the Mariners also rank fourth with a team ERA of 4.06.
Homecoming, at last
Michael Saunders’ freak encounter with a sprinkler head during spring training in 2015 delayed the return of the Jays outfielder and B.C. product to the city he called home from 2009 to 2014. Now, nearly two years after being traded from Seattle to Toronto for J.A. Happ, Saunders will finally make a return trip to Safeco Field. Saunders has just six hits and one home run in his past 47 plate appearances, so at this point, anything that shakes up the normal day-to-day routine is worth a try.
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