Seattle Mariners Take Commanding 2-0 Lead Over Toronto Blue Jays In ALCS
The Seattle Mariners are firing on all cylinders, as they blow out the Toronto Blue Jays, taking the first two games on the road. The Mariners’ offense exploded for 10 runs, and can clinch the series at home in Seattle with two more wins. The two teams will head to Seattle on Wednesday, and Toronto will need to be sharp with its backs against the wall.
Mariners Offense Goes Ballistic
Julio Rodriguez started things off with a three-run home run in the first inning that set the tone early on. Toronto was able to tie the game at three in the first two innings. George Springer led things off with a double, and would score on an infield single by Nathan Lukes, and then Alejandro Kirk drove in Lukes on an RBI single. In the second inning, Lukes put Toronto back on the board with an RBI single, bringing in Ernie Clement.
The Blue Jays’ pitching staff continues to struggle, as Trey Yesavage went just four innings, allowing five earned runs. Their bullpen couldn’t keep the game in reach, as four of six pitchers who came in relief all allowed one run. Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer were the only ones to hold Seattle scoreless. Jorge Polanco continued to dominate the Blue Jays, hitting a three-run home run in the top of the fifth, giving Seattle a 6-3 lead. So far in the ALCS, Polanco is batting .444, with four hits, one home run, and five RBI’s.
The Blue Jays wouldn’t score another run after the second inning, as the bats went cold for a second straight night. It’s extremely impressive what Seattle’s done in the series thus far, absolutely dominating Toronto in every aspect of the game, on the road. They will head back home on Wednesday and will send George Kirby on the mound to go up against Shane Bieber.
Toronto Is In Desperation Mode
After their ugly loss in Game 1, Toronto will now have to win four of the next five games to advance to the World Series. The Mariners have been firing on all cylinders and will have the pitching advantage in the next two games. They’ll send out George Kirby, who has a 2.70 ERA in two appearances in the postseason this year.
As for Toronto, they’ll look to Shane Bieber to try to crawl back in this series. Bieber was quickly pulled in Game 3 of the ALDS, going just 2.2 innings, allowing 2 earned runs. He’ll have to be sharp as their offense has disappeared, and needs to hold the Mariners’ red-hot offense down.
If Toronto wants to pull off the comeback, the bats need to quickly wake up. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is currently hitless in seven at-bats, which cannot happen in the rest of the series. He was a huge reason why they beat the Yankees, hitting over .500 with 3 home runs and nine RBIs. The reality is that Vladdy can carry this team on his back and needs to step up when it matters most.
The pitching also needs to be better. In the first two games, the pitching staff has a 6.50 ERA and has no answers against the Mariners’ offense. As I alluded to earlier in the article, Bieber needs to inject life into this team. Both Kevin Gausman and Yesavage were unable to go more than 5 innings, which has taxed their bullpen. Bieber has faced Seattle seven times in his career, holding a 2.30 ERA, with 49 strikeouts in seven appearances. Out of these appearances, Bieber has only allowed more than one earned run twice.
