pc28¹ÙÍø

The next matchup figured to only make the situation worse. The Seattle Mariners were not only first in the AL West but they hadn’t lost a series since the beginning of April. In Friday’s newspaper, this bonehead columnist predicted the weekend was going to be a one-sided affair.

Well, it was a one-sided affair, just the opposite way. The Jays completed a sweep Sunday by scoring the most runs of their season in a 9-1 victory at T-Mobile Park. 

The strong showing in Seattle salvaged a West Coast road trip that will now be considered a success with a 4-2 record. The Jays find themselves just three games back of the New York Yankees for first place in the division and one behind second-place Boston. There are three teams between the Jays and the final wild card, but they’re very much in the race.

The streak coincides with the most consistent production the Jays have received from the bats all season. Prior to the road trip, they had not scored five or more runs in three consecutive games. They have now scored at least six in each of their last four to get back to respectability.

Home runs told the story in the Mariners series, as they often do. Manager John Schneider’s squad arrived in Seattle having hit fewer homers than any other team. Then Nathan Lukes went deep in Game 1, Bo Bichette followed suit in Game 2, and George Springer and the red-hot Addison Barger left the ballpark in the finale.

There are six teams in the majors who are averaging at least five runs per game. If the Jays did that frequently enough, they’d be a lock for the post-season because of their pitching staff. Kevin Gausman came two outs shy of recording a quality start in the opener, Bowden Francis tossed one on Saturday night, and the duo of Jose Urena and Eric Lauer combined to essentially throw one on Sunday.

The Jays were clinging to a 2-1 lead during the fifth inning of the finale when Springer broke the game open with a three-run homer to left. The no-doubter travelled an estimated 416 feet and was Springer’s fifth home run of the year. His comeback season continues with a .921 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, which ranks sixth in the AL. Last year at this time, it was one of the lowest at .557.

An injury to Andrés Giménez created an opportunity for Barger to become an everyday player and he did not disappoint against the Mariners. He hit three doubles in the opener, scored a run and drove in two on Saturday, and had two more hits Sunday, including a solo shot to right field.

The Jays secured the final win by taking an unorthodox approach on the mound. The recently signed José Ureña got the start, but he was pulled after going through the Mariners lineup just once. Ureña surrendered a home run to Dylan Moore, the last hitter he faced, but his departure was preplanned and didn’t have anything to do with that at-bat.

Left-hander Eric Lauer, who made one start for the Jays late last month, entered out of the bullpen and tossed 4 2/3 scoreless inning. Combined, the two pitchers allowed one run on three hits and a pair of walks while pitching into the seventh. By then, the Jays had a eight-run lead.

The Jays return home riding a season-high four-game winning streak and they’re back to .500 for the first time since May 2. The vibes are good, but the road ahead remains difficult with a three-game series against division-rival Tampa Bay starting Tuesday, followed by three games against AL-Central leading Detroit.

What direction the Jays take next remains anyone’s guess but this team has proven one thing: It is more resilient than a year ago. If this group is going down, it at least won’t sink as fast as it did in 2024. Who knows, maybe it won’t go down at all.

That still seems unlikely based on the flawed lineup, but a sweep over a surging team like the Mariners seemed improbable, too. Through 40 games, the Jays are hanging in there, which is more than some of us thought possible before that flight to Seattle.