logo
Blue Jays series recap: Mariners take two of three from Jays with the long-ball approach
alt
Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 21, 2025, 17:15 EDTUpdated: Apr 21, 2025, 17:09 EDT
Comments
For only the second time this season, the Toronto Blue Jays have lost a series.
Things started great for the Blue Jays in their home series against the Seattle Mariners. Their first game saw the Jays pick up a 3-1 win. Bowden Francis had a strong start, pitching six innings with one earned run and five strikeouts, while the bullpen didn’t allow a run. Sure, their bats were light in this game, but they played small ball to perfection.
Despite the second game’s score of 8-4, this was an entirely winnable game for the Jays. Well, that is if they were able to hit with runners in scoring position, as they were a crisp 3-19. They had a 3-2 lead heading into the seventh, but José Berríos gave up a game-tying home run and the Jays couldn’t get a hit in the ninth, tenth and eleventh. Jacob Barnes gave up five runs in the top of the 12th, sealing the Jays’ fate.
The rubber match was far less competitive, as the Jays fell 8-3. Before they even had a chance to swing the sticks, they were down 3-0. Eventually going down 6-0, the Jays cut the lead in half, but former Blue Jay Rowdy Tellez put the game away with his third home run of the series to make it 8-3.
There’s some bad and some good. The good is that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished the series batting .571/.727/.857. Bo Bichette (160 wRC+) and Andrés Giménez (129 wRC+) are two other regulars who had a good series.
The same cannot be said for George Springer, who batted .111/.273/.222 in 11 plate appearances. Anthony Santander slashed .091 across the board, finishing the series with a -58 wRC+. His nine-game hitting streak also came to an end.
Moreover, the lack of home runs this season continues to be a problem. Their 12 home runs are the second-fewest in the league, only one more than the Kansas City Royals. For context, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh hit his ninth home run of the season in Sunday’s game.
Small ball is great and all, but if the Jays want any chance to make the postseason this season, they’ll have to up their home run totals a bit here. Maybe an open dome will help them, but something has to change.
They head to Houston on Monday for a three-game series against the Astros. Hopefully, they can take two of three in that one.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News