Back home and back in the win column.
On Monday evening, the Blue Jays played their first home game of the season, hosting the Seattle Mariners and defeating them 5-2. This brings their record to 5-6 with a chance to return to .500 on Tuesday.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk caught some flak after Sunday’s game, but he drove in the first run of the game for the second consecutive day with an RBI single, his seventh of the season, which is tied for the most on the team.
Who is he tied with? Well, none other than Davis Schneider who hit a two-run double to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead, which was all they’d need to take home the win. Hopefully, the team understands that Schneider is an everyday player.
In the bottom of the fourth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his second double of the season, driving in Kevin Kiermaier to give the Blue Jays some insurance runs. Afterwards, the game was scoreless until the top of the eighth.
The first home run at Rogers Centre this season belonged to J.P. Crawford, who hit a solo home run to right field to get the Mariners on the board. However, Isiah Kiner-Falefa answered in the bottom with a single (his second hit of the game!) to give the Jays a 5-1 lead.
It wouldn’t be a game against the Mariners without a Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh home run in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Mariners a little bit of hope, but was eventually snuffed out. Hopefully, that’s the last of Raleigh’s home runs against Toronto this season.
Things worth mentioning…
José Berríos may quite literally be the Blue Jays ace of 2024. On Monday, he finished with a line of 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, bringing his season ERA to 1.45, along with a 3.88 FIP in 18.2 innings pitched.
Davis Schneider needs to be in the lineup every day, as he went 2-4 with two RBIs and a strikeout. Yes, he may have some flaws in his swing with the high fastball, but the potential to do damage, as he has done since being called up, is enough to get his bat in.
Justin Turner was a fantastic pick up, and no one can change my mind about that. He led off the bottom of the second with a double with Kirk eventually driving him in. He’s batting .290 this season and is seemingly always on base.
There were three Blue Jays batters with multi-hit games, Schneider, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. While it is a low bar to set, this was Kiner-Falefa’s best game as a Jay. Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette and Kevin Kiermaier also picked up hits.
Up next: The Jays are back in action on Tuesday, as they’ll have a chance to win the series against the Mariners with the start time coming at 7:07 PM ET. The team is back home and needs to pick up some wins, and they have a chance to move back to .500.
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