The Toronto Blue Jays have their backs against the wall. Manager John Schneider must navigate this team out of a 2-0 hole against the Seattle Mariners. But he addressed an Anthony Santander lineup move ahead of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) Wednesday.
Santander is moving up in the order, Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com Keegan Matherson reported. Schneider shared why he made the swift change.
“Let’s try to get something going, right?” Schneider stated. “Let’s try to have a few less jabs and a few more uppercuts.”
The Blue Jays on offense have looked dormant. Toronto got suggested to move Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to cleanup duties, while Ernie Clement goes to the third spot.
This late MLB Playoffs change could become a tide-shifting moment for Toronto.
How Mariners have frustrated John Schneider, Blue Jays
Seattle has a pitching lineup keeping Toronto in check.
The Mariners rolled with four different arms in Game 1 — surrendering only two hits and one run in the process. Bryce Miller surrendered a solo home run, but struck out three Blue Jays in six innings.
Miller switched to sinkers and sliders in the top of the second to keep the Blue Jays' bats from going off — forcing a ground out and fly out. He then switched to splitters and sweepers to put together the next three outs in the bottom of the third. Sliders became the go-to pitch for Matt Brash and lefty Gabe Spierer after taking over the hill from Miller.
Seattle again threw out four different pitchers on the hill in Game 2, with Eduard Bazardo taking the win. The Mariners allowed six hits, but three runs while fanning five Blue Jays batters.
Right-hander and starter Logan Gilbert attacked Toronto with the slider out the gate — as six of his first inning throws were through that tactic. Gilbert's slider hit a top speed of 89 mph.
Schneider is turning to his 30-year-old veteran to spark the offense. Santander has smacked three hits this postseason. He pounded 34 hits in 54 games with his new club after several years with the Baltimore Orioles.
Meanwhile, Max Scherzer is lined up for Game 4 regardless of Wednesday's outcome. Except the 41-year-old pitcher Scherzer may need to be the savior of Toronto's season if the Jays fall to a 3-0 deficit.
