Blue Jays find win vs. Mariners despite stress along the way

SEATTLE – Wins aren’t coming easily for the Toronto Blue Jays right now, not even close.

But a hard-fought victory still beats most alternatives, even if the pathway there tends to be filled with stress for these 2025 Blue Jays. That was certainly the case Friday, when Yimi Garcia tempted disaster in the eighth before escaping to set up a 6-3 win against the Seattle Mariners in front of 31,564 at T-Mobile Park, thousands of whom were cheering for the visitors.

One night after matching their season high with eight runs against the Los Angeles Angels, the Blue Jays put up six against the Mariners thanks to a Nathan Lukes home run and a three-double game from Addison Barger.

But the late dramatics came from the pitching staff, as Garcia loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth before inducing a line out and two strikeouts to preserve the Blue Jays’ narrow lead. From there, Toronto handed the ball over to closer Jeff Hoffman, who looked very much like himself with three strikeouts on his way to save No. 8.

“That was big,” said manager John Schneider. “When you’re a high-leverage reliever, it's easy to let some (negative) thoughts creep back and I thought Yimi did an unbelievable job of locking it in. Hoff, I thought had really good stuff as well, and it's nice to just get back out there and say, ‘okay, I'm good.’”

Considering that duo combined to allow nine earned runs in three appearances earlier this week against the Angels, those performances were vitally important. Not only did they help the Blue Jays defeat one of baseball’s hottest teams, some order has now been restored at the back of the bullpen. 

"The feeling was amazing," Garcia said. "To get into that situation and get out was unbelievable."

“Happy for both of them for sure,” added starter Kevin Gausman.

Now granted, the Blue Jays must eventually find a way to win some games without so much stress. Though they improved to 18-20 Friday, they’ve only won three times all season without using Hoffman or Garcia. Part of the reason for that heavy usage? They’ve won by more than three runs only twice, and not even once in the last month.

So, as nice as the Lukes home run was, they do need more power from the group that now ranks last in baseball in home runs. In the meantime, the defence continues supporting the pitching staff with strong plays from Bo Bichette and Barger. Yet it was Daulton Varsho who made the defensive play of the night, robbing Ben Williamson of a near-home run with a spectacular catch at the centre field wall. 

Offensively, Barger starred in this one with his trio of doubles hit at 109.3 m.p.h., 113.4 m.p.h. and 116.5 m.p.h. Among Blue Jays, only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has harder hit balls this year, so a game like this is encouraging for the 25-year-old.

Afterwards, he said he’s been finding success at the plate by ‘just chilling out’ as much as possible. He says that’s easy to do at triple-A, but not easy at all in the major-leagues. Lately, though, he’s found a mental approach that’s working for him.

“Just trying to convince yourself that you don't care that much,” Barger said.

Gausman pitched well, covering 5.1 innings while allowing three earned runs. His velocity was down a little compared to his season average, but he still attacked the strike zone against the Mariners before handing the ball over to Brendon Little, who provided 1.2 innings of strong relief work, striking out three.  

Even so, Gausman said afterwards that he was disappointed not to pitch deeper into the game, considering the stress on the bullpen of late.

“We have to do a better job and we've got to get to the seventh more consistently,” he said. “We're putting our bullpen in a tough spot.”

Before the game, the Blue Jays placed Andres Gimenez on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain, but manager John Schneider hopes the absence will be “relatively short.” There’s already been improvement since Gimenez injured his leg running out a bunt single Wednesday, but the Blue Jays elected to play it safe.

That absence created an opportunity for Michael Stefanic, whose contract was officially selected for the big-league bench Friday afternoon. The veteran infielder makes a lot of contact, offers a little speed and plays every infield position, including first base.

“It’s kind of like another little version of Ernie (Clement), but with a beard,” Schneider quipped.

All jokes aside, Stefanic impressed the Blue Jays coaching staff with his preparation after hitting a stellar .319/.454/.372 batting line at triple-A. The right-handed hitting 29-year-old arrived in Seattle having researched most of the Mariners’ bullpen with a particular eye on which relievers he might face late in games.

“He can do a lot,” Schneider said. “He’s just a grimy baseball player who’ll do anything to help you win. He’s performing really well and he’s been here before.”

Now winners of two in a row, the Blue Jays have a chance to win the series against the Mariners Saturday and assure themselves of a .500 west coast road trip. Just don’t expect it to be easy.

"You can be really good, but you're going to (struggle) sometimes,” Garcia said. "Everybody in this league. The Dodgers, the Yankees. But we’re keeping our heads up."