Toronto Blue Jays Fall to Seattle Mariners Again

Perhaps we got ahead ourselves: Adam Lind‘s return to the lineup didn’t provide the immediate offensive spark that many of us expected for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jul 2, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind heads for first after hitting a single in the Jays 7-4 win over Milwaukee Brewers at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

In fact, Lind had an unproductive and forgettable day at the plate in his return to MLB action since landing on the DL early last month. He went 0-3 and was replaced by Nolan Reimold in the seventh inning.

Making matters worse, the Jays lost to the Seattle Mariners for the second day in a row. Things were more competitive this time – they were beat 6-3, not 11-1 – but that’s not enough for a team trying to reach the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. The loss allowed Seattle to move into a tie alongside the Detroit Tigers for the final Wild Card spot in the American League with Toronto trailing both teams by two games.

J.A. Happ took the loss, dropping his record to 8-7 on the season. He allowed five runs (four earned) over six innings of work, but he couldn’t keep the ball in the park. The Mariners hit him for two big home runs.

The Jays were obviously looking for something stronger from Happ following his brilliant performance against the Baltimore Orioles last Thursday. Unfortunately, he couldn’t deliver.

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Aaron Loup pitched the final two innings of the game, getting charged for one unearned run off one hit. He didn’t allow any walks and tossed out two batters, which is a pretty clean showing for him. However, I should add Loup is responsible for the error that lead to the unearned run against him so his night could’ve and should’ve been even cleaner.

Apr 3, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus (28) makes a diving catch in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre. The Indians beat the Blue Jays 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Centre fielder Colby Rasmus was responsible for the other (and initial) error on the night. It was his first error of the season.

The two errors certainly didn’t help the Jays’ cause, but even if they played a perfect game on the field, it’s still unlikely they would’ve been able to beat the Mariners. Toronto could only manage six hits all night – a lack of regular offensive production that has largely defined them and determined their fate so far this season.

As I mentioned yesterday, there’s a silver lining to everything in baseball: the Jays get the instant chance to makeup the loss tonight when they conclude their three-game series against the Mariners.

In the first game of the series, poor pitching cost the Jays the win. Last night it was lackluster offence and porous defence. What’ll (or who’ll) be the culprit tonight?

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