Series Preview: Blue Jays fans ready for annual Seattle takeover

Western Canadian fans figure to be out in full force for the Toronto Blue Jays‘ annual series in Seattle this weekend.

The fun has already started. Earlier this week, the Mariners’ team store showcased some Blue Jays merchandise, presumably to pique the interest of Canadian fans, before Seattle players Paul Sewald and J.P. Crawford criticized the move.

The store later removed the Blue Jays gear from prominent display in photos displayed by Twitter users.

Nevertheless, it won’t stop Blue Jays fans from doing their part to turn Seattle into Toronto West.

Here’s a look at the series.

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Probable Pitchers

Friday, 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT: Toronto LHP Yusei Kikuchi (7-3, 4:13 ERA) vs. Seattle RHP Bryce Miller (6-3, 3.66 ERA)

Saturday, 4:10 p.m. ET / 1:10 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (7-5, 3.03 ERA) vs. Seattle RHP Logan Gilbert (8-5, 3.65 ERA)

Sunday, 4:10 p.m. ET / 1:10 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Alek Manoah (2-8, 6.18 ERA) vs. Seattle RHP Bryan Woo (1-2, 4.74 ERA)

All games on Sportsnet and SN NOW.

Latest on the Blue Jays

The Blue Jays (54-43) avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres with a 4-0 win in the finale on Thursday at Rogers Centre.

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Chris Bassitt pitched six innings of shutout ball before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk gave the bullpen some breathing room with home runs in the seventh and eighth inning, respectively.

Toronto managed just six runs in the series against the Padres, which explains why the Blue Jays’ three-series win streak came to an end.

There was good news before Thursday’s game, too, as the Blue Jays confirmed Gausman would be good to go for Saturday after being sidelined since the all-star break with left side discomfort. Gausman had 13 strikeouts against the Mariners in April.

The Blue Jays are third in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the front-running Baltimore Orioles. Toronto is tied with the Houston Astros for second in the wild-card race.

Latest on the Mariners

The Mariners (48-48) earned a split of a four-game series with the visiting Minnesota Twins with a 5-0 win on Thursday.

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All-star starter George Kirby matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings.

Former Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, sent to the Mariners in the off-season trade for reliever Erik Swanson, notched his team-leading 16th homer of the season for Seattle.

The trade has helped both sides. Swanson has been one of the better relievers for an improved Toronto bullpen.

Overall, it hasn’t been a great season for the Mariners, who will need a big surge to make the playoffs after sweeping the Blue Jays in last year’s wild-card series.

The Mariners are fourth in the AL West, 9.5 games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers. They are also 5.5 games out of a wild-card spot.

That Hurts

Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, one day after breaking his foot while kicking a water cooler following a strikeout in Wednesday’s loss.

Kelenic was emotional discussing the incident with reporters.

“I made a mistake. I let the emotions get the best of me there. I just feel terrible, especially for the guys,” Kelenic said. “I just let the emotions get the best of me and I just let them down and take full responsibility for it. It’s on me. It just can’t happen.”

There is no timetable for Kelenic’s return. He’s hitting .252 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs in 90 games.

Sadness in Seattle

While the Blue Jays always get a boost from the influx of fans in Seattle, it didn’t go so well for the team in last year’s series.

The Mariners swept the Blue Jays in a four-game series in July, including a pair of one-run victories in the final two contests.

Three days later, after the team had returned home, the Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo and replaced him with John Schneider.

Season Series

The Blue Jays took two out of three against the Mariners in April at Rogers Centre, falling one strike short of a sweep.

Dalton Varsho had an RBI single in the 10th for a 1-0 Blue Jays victory in the middle game before the Mariners rallied to tie the finale in the ninth and then won it in the 10th on Cal Raleigh’s second homer of the day.

Raleigh has been a problem for the Blue Jays. Including the two post-season games from last October, the catcher has eight hits, four home runs and nine RBIs in his last five games against the Blue Jays. 

Derby Duel

After squaring off against 2022 Home Run Derby winner Juan Soto in the Padres series, 2023 champ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. faces another derby rival in the ballpark where he won the competition earlier this month.

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Mariners star Julio Rodriguez lost to Guerrero in this year’s semifinals in Seattle.

The reigning AL rookie of the year has 13 home runs this year. Guerrero has 15.

Canadian Corner

Mariners reliever Matt Brash, a native of Kingston, Ont., has allowed just one hit in 5.1 innings of work in July. He has struck out nine and walked two.

The 25-year-old Brash picked up his first and only career save to date in the series in Toronto.

Homecoming for Kikuchi

Kikuchi, an ex-Mariner, makes his first start in Seattle since signing a three-year deal with the Blue Jays before the 2022 season.

Kikuchi, who started his major-league career with Seattle in 2019, was an all-star in 2021 before his numbers took a dramatic dip in the second half of that season.

After struggling last year, Kikuchi has shown improvement as Toronto’s fifth starter this season.

Up Next

The Blue Jays conclude their west coast trip with a three-game series against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, starting Monday.

— With files from The Associated Press.

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