TORONTO – Three instant impressions after the Mariners’ 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. The series is tied 3-3:
It’s the bottom five, not the top four
OK, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run, his sixth in these playoffs. That wasn’t the problem for Logan Gilbert.
It was Ernie Clement’s triple and Addison Barger’s home run. And the infield single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The bottom of the Blue Jays lineup has pestered Mariners pitching.
In the three Mariners’ wins in the series, hitters Nos. 5-9 in the Toronto batting order are a combined 6 for 53 (.113) with two RBI.
In the three Toronto wins in the series, those same spots in the Blue Jays order are a combined 23 for 54 (. 426), with five doubles, five home runs and 18 RBI.
Even with a full compliment of rest, Gilbert wasn’t sharp. Throw in some bad Mariners defense and when Gilbert made mistakes the Blue Jays clubbed them.
Speaking of bad defense, the errors in Game 6 were inexcusable. Just look at the second inning. If Julio Rodríguez cuts off Addison Barger’s base-hit cleanly and Eugenio Suárez doesn’t simply drop Ernie Clement’s ground ball, the Blue Jays perhaps don’t take a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
There was also Raleigh making a bad throw as Guerrero advanced to third base on a wild pitch in the seventh inning and allowed him to go another 90 feet for a 6-2 Toronto lead.
Toronto capitalized on Seattle’s carelessness in the field. That carelessness can’t be repeated in Game 7.
Anything but a double play
It’s actually a credit considering how many times he came to the plate this season that Raleigh grounded into a double play only six times during the regular season.
His first GIDP of the postseason could not have come at a worse moment.
In desperate need of some momentum, the M’s loaded the bases with one out in the third inning on two walks and a single. Raleigh attacked a first-pitch splitter from Trey Yesavage that was up in the zone, but instead of doing same, he rolled it over into a 3-6-1 double play.
The next inning, it was J.P. Crawford failing to cash in with the same situation – bases loaded, one out. Crawford lunged at a splitter off the plate from Yesavage and punched his way into a 4-6-3 double play. It was also his first grounded into a double play in the postseason.
And for good measure, Rodríguez grounded into his own inning-ending double play in the fifth inning. At least that time there was only one runner on.
Get a run, or maybe two runs out of those situations and the rest of the game takes on a different complexion.
Game 7
Well, in a season of firsts, here’s another: the first Game 7 in Mariners history.
Get out the antacid. Maybe have a bottle of Pepto on hand. Get your favorite stress-eating snack prepared and if so inclined prepare a beverage or two.
If you thought the previous Game 5s in the ALDS brought stress, well this might as well be Game 5 amped up on energy drinks.
The M’s played Game 6 like a team carrying the baggage of never being this close to the World Series. They looked tight. They made simple mistakes. They were jumpy at the plate.
Maybe going through a sloppy Game 6 relaxes the M’s for Game 7. Or maybe that baggage of 48 previous seasons gets only heavier.
The last Game 7 in the ALCS came two years ago when Texas won in Houston. That’s one of only three times a road team has won a Game 7 of the ALCS – not counting the 2020 playoffs that were at neutral sites due to the pandemic.
The only other AL teams to win Game 7 on the road: the 2004 Red Sox over the Yankees and the 1985 Royals, who beat the Blue Jays 40 years ago.
The M’s would like to see history repeat itself.