The Blue Jays took all three games from the Mariners this weekend to catapult right back into the playoff race.
TORONTO -- When they needed the magic of 2025 most, they got it.
The Toronto Blue Jays swept the Seattle Mariners over the weekend at Rogers Centre to move to 68-70 and just 1.5 games back in the battle for the third and final American League wild card. While the Fangraphs playoff odds are still at just 25.5 percent, there's certainly a chance, especially with the Jays playing the Cleveland Guardians this week - the team they are directly chasing.
You all watched the games and saw the Jays outscore Seattle 19-4, but there were three things that stuck out above the rest to me.
Dylan Cease has been worth every penny
I don't think that anybody was doubting that heading into the series, but he just continues to solidify it each time he takes the mound. Any time you give a pitcher $210 million, there's some concern, but Cease has bucked that all season long.
He set the tone on Friday night by going six strong innings and striking out eight. It was his 19th consecutive start of at least seven strikeouts or more and he continues to pace the American League in strikeouts, hits/9, homers/9 and strikeouts/9.
Cease had had 12 walks in his previous three starts, which is about the only way teams can get to him, but he had only one in this affair. If you can't hit Cease, and he won't walk you, you have no chance. Seattle had no chance.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) in the dugout during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn ImagesBrett Bateman is more than just a nice story
Sure, the kid gets acquired in a trade deadline deal and gets inserted into the lineup right away. We've seen that before, but what's nice about Bateman is the impact he's having every night. He's hitting .333 in his first 19 games, and he went 4-for-10 with three walks in this series. He started off the series with a single in the first inning on Friday night, setting the tone for a 3-run inning, and he also stole two bases.
He makes contact, runs well, and creates havoc at the top of the lineup.
Vlad Jr. is frustrated
The crowd knows that Guerrero hasn't homered at home yet, and he knows it too. It seems like he's trying to so hard to get that off his resume, and he's missing several balls that he typically crushes.
Now, he still had two hits in this series, and he had a loud 116 mph out on Saturday, but you can tell things are weighing on him.
The Blue Jays and Guardians will play at 6:40 p.m. ET from Cleveland on Tuesday.
