The Blue Jays’ unpredictability leads to their downfall as the Mariners win to win wild card streaks

TORONTO — Ahead of Game 1 of the wildcard series against the Seattle Mariners, George Springer reflected on a question about what gave the Toronto Blue Jays an advantage in October, calling his team “unpredictable.” It wasn’t the first time he’d used the word as a description in a complementary context, and it fits. Offensive breakouts in a snap. Damage from anywhere in the lineup. Gem from the starter. Defense stealing hits left and right. Some clever/breathtaking baserunning. They have everything on the table.

That, however, unpredictably cuts both ways, as it certainly did on a wild Saturday at the Rogers Center as the Blue Jays’ season came to an end after forcing a seven-run lead in a devastating 10-9 loss Seattle Mariners gambled away a two-game sweep of their wildcard streak.

JP Crawford split the game 9-9 with a bases-loaded blooper that fell between a diving George Springer and Bo Bichette, who tangled in a scary collision, while Adam Frazier completed the notable rally with an RBI double against Jordan Romano at the Top finished the ninth.

After Andres Munoz, the nearly untouchable three-figure throwing mutant, stranded Bichette in third to finish eighth, George Kirby finished in ninth, completing a heartbreaking addition to last year’s one-game short sore for the Blue Jays.

Unpredictable, in fact.

Springer, who played injured for months, was further pummeled by a left wrist pitch hit on Friday and a collision with the wall that caused a running catch on Saturday, was carted off the field after the collision, urging fans to stop when leaving to make noise. The star midfielder’s panache and resilience mirrored his team during an upside-down campaign that drew parallels to the Gong Show finale.

A day after being hampered by an absurdly dirty Luis Castillo during a 3-0 loss in Game 1, the Blue Jays were off the hop on Robbie Ray along with a crowd of 47,156 who were either booing his name or slowly chanting. Teoscar Hernandez followed Alejandro Kirk’s leadoff double with a two-run shot in the second, and after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. overran a Santiago Espinal double with a single in the third, the right fielder ambushed a fastball from the left side to take the fourth open.

The roaring fans really were after the defending American League’s Cy Young Award-winner at this point, as Scott Servais came on to pick him up after just over three innings, and the Dome reached fever-level in the fifth with a four-pointer – that included two hits -by-pitches – opened an 8-1 lead.

The Blue Jays should have headed home from there, but because they’re unpredictable, they didn’t. Kevin Gausman, who had been dominant up to that point, loaded the bases with no outs, pulled back the next two batters, and then handed the reins to Tim Mayza.

It was followed by Carlos Santana, who won two games on late homers and had six runs total in Seattle’s Blue Jays four-game sweep in July, and after Mayza rebounded his first pitch to bring home a run, the veteran switched . The batter hooked a down and away sinker over the left wall to make it 8-5.

The drama only increased from there, even after Danny Jansen delivered an RBI single in the seventh — built up by a tremendous hustle play from Matt Chapman, who dunked to put a hand on the pocket in front of Penn Murfee’s foot for a single to get Put men on the corners – to pad the edge.

Fatefully, interim manager John Schneider went to Anthony Bass to start the eighth and he went double, RBI single, single before Romano took over. After Frazier slashed a single to load the bases, Romano rallied to beat Santana and Dylan Moore before the Crawford Bloop.

The turnaround was all the more disturbing given that the Blue Jays had started the game so well.

While Gausman came out hot, Ray was booed during pregame introductions and taunted with “Rooobbbbiiieee” chants throughout his performance, and a smart punch from Hernandez really rocked Rogers center. Realizing Ray was going to try to catch him with spin, he put down three straight sliders and then, with a 2-1 lead, hammered a fourth 401 foot over the left wall.

The Blue Jays stacked from there and in the fifth, after a Hernandez base-loaded hit by pitch, Chapman victim fly and Jansen RBI double, Whit Merrifield was hit on the helmet by Diego Castillo’s first pitch. Merrifield was understandably outraged, Schneider came out to talk to the umpires about it and after the fiery Utilityman grabbed his bag to load the bases, Espinal landed too short to finish the frame.

Although the score was 8-1 at the time, the Mariners’ rally followed. Manager Scott Servais said ahead of the game that they discussed as a group to “expect the expected”.

“There will be some bumps in the road,” he continued. “There will be some momentum swings. I think when you’re prepared for that, you recognize the situation and the moment you’re in and you can slow it down a little bit better.”

That’s exactly what the Mariners did.