Game #132 Toronto Blue Jays (53-79) @ Seattle Mariners (55-75) - game recap

Bo Bichette was 3-5 with 2 runs scored and 3RBI to lead the Blue Jays to a 7-5 victory over the Mariners 

After a difficult to watch 7-4 loss where where every Blue Jay but Brandon Drury had at least one hit, Reese McGuire had 2 balls squeak between his legs directly leading to 2 runs and the pitching was so-so at best, the Blue Jays turned to Wilmer Font as the opener tonight. Cavan Biggio was back and hitting in the #2 hole. Vlad was back in the field after a half-day off as DH yesterday (Rowdy Tellez was the DH tonight). Danny Jansen was back behind the plate after sitting out the opener of this series yesterday. Could the blue Jays snap the 6 game losing streak? Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Mariners opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Kyle Seagar singled home Mallex Smith and JP Crawford
• Wilmer Font pitching line: 1IP 2H 2R (both earned) 1BB 1K 33 pitches (18 for strikes); Brock Stewart pitched the next 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4
• The Blue Jays got one back in the top of the 3rd as Teoscar Hernandez smashed a solo blast to left-center
• Three batters later, Bo Bichette slammed a solo bomb to dead center
• The Mariners retook the lead in the bottom of the 5th as Omar Narvaez smashed a 3-run bomb to right-center also scoring Seagar and Crawford
• Felix Hernandez pitching line: 5.2IP 3H 2R (both earned) 3BB 4K 88 pitches (54 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays got one back in the top of the 7th as Billy McKinney doubled home Hernandez
• Two batters later Bichette singled scoring McKinney
• Two batters later, Bichette scored on a ground out by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• A batter later, Randal Grichuk doubled home Cavan Biggio
• The Blue Jays added a run in the top of the 8th as Bichette doubled home Danny Jansen
• Derek Law got the final 5 outs for his 4th save of the season. Thank god #100milesGiles is expected back tomorrow from paternity leave
• Final score: Blue Jays 7 Mariners 5

My Take:

• As will be the case more often than not the remainder of the season, the Blue Jays used an opener to get through the first inning, followed by a longer reliever to eat up the next several innings. One can question why the Blue Jays don't just use the reliever as the starter in the first place. One argument is getting through the tough part of the lineup and giving the long man a more favorable part of the lineup. However, in today's MLB, the best hitters can hit anybody. Font and Stewart combined to allow 5 runs on 9 hits while walking 2 batters and striking out 5.
• Bo Bichette continues to shine. In his 25th career games, he had another 3 hits, 3 RBI and scored twice. He also threw out Daniel Vogelbach in the 8th for a huge out, because if he had scored it would have been a 1-run lead with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd with the speedy Mallex Smith at the plate.
• Teoscar Hernandez also had a good day at the plate, drawing 2 walks, hitting a solo HR and scoring a second time later in the game
• Derek Law made things WAY more interesting than they had to be. He is not Ken Giles, but he's probably the second best closing option the Blue Jays have when Giles is not available.
• Up next, the Blue Jays go for the season series split and the series win in Seattle. Clay Buchholz is expected to be activated off the 60 day IL (Ryan Tepera is expected to come off the IL shortly after the team returns to Toronto. He and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will probably be the only Blue Jays to return from the IL this season). The Mariners will counter with lefty Marco Gonzalez