Story by
Six Takeaways From Seattle Mariners Sunday Sweep at Blue Jays
- Story by
- Six Takeaways From Seattle Mariners Sunday Sweep at Blue Jays
TORONTO -- The Seattle Mariners were unable to halt the negative momentum on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre, losing 7-0 against the Toronto Blue Jays .
With the loss, the M's are back to a season-worst nine games under .500 at 64-73. The positive vibes of a 4-2 homestand erased, the Mariners were swept by the Blue Jays and now head to Boston for the final leg of a six-game East Coast swing.
Advertisement
They'll do so at 4.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West, but a Houston win on Sunday would push them to 5.0 back with 25 to play. While the easy schedule of September gives them a chance to make the playoffs, the feeling of that actually happening is certainly dissipating.
Here's what you need to know:
Gilbert pays for Cardinal sin
The Mariners lost the first two games of this series and clearly needed a big performance from Logan Gilbert to help right the ship.
However, he walked leadoff Brett Bateman to start the game, and he paid for it when Bateman came around to score on a 2-run homer by Alejandro Kirk.
Advertisement
Bateman was a thorn in the M's side all series long, constantly wreaking havoc with walks, singles the other way, and stolen bases.
Scherzer turns back time and makes history
In a "what can go wrong, will go wrong," kind of way, Max Scherzer entered the game with an ERA over seven.
And what did he do? He went seven scoreless innings, striking out 10, which is double his season-high. He allowed just one hit and now has the ninth-most strikeouts in MLB history.
Stolen base woes
The little things have plagued the Mariners all season, and this series was no different. Seattle pitchers struggled to hold runners all weekend, with the Blue Jays running wild. After Alejandro Kirk and George Springer stole bases on Saturday, the Jays got one from Bateman on Sunday.
Advertisement
Myles Straw, who killed the Mariners from the No. 9 spot each of the last two days, had a stolen base in his pocket as well, but the M's were lucky that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fouled off the pitch.
Defensive woes again
Defensive limitations have been a major story for this team all season and they were again on Saturday. Already leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Blue Jays had a runner at second and one out.
The aforementioned Guerrero hit a ground ball under JP Crawford's glove at shortstop that scored Straw. It was ruled a double. Anybody who saw it knows it wasn't.
Limited scoring chances squandered
Once again, the Mariners failed to generate consistent offense, wasting the limited scoring chances they had.
Advertisement
In the second inning, Taylor Ward walked with two outs and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He was stranded after Cole Young popped up.
In the fourth, Cal Raleigh doubled with two outs and then was left on second when Josh Naylor struck out. That Raleigh double was the Mariners' only hit.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
If you're looking for one positive out of the series, it's this:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entered the series without a home run at Rogers Centre this year, an absolutely shocking feat.
He did not hit one against the Mariners, either.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The particulars
Gilbert took the loss, giving up three earned runs over five innings. He surrendered six hits and one walk while striking out four. He's now 11-8 with a 3.42 ERA.
He'll pitch at home over the weekend against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park.
