Blue Jays vs. Mariners: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not Heading Into the Wild-Card Series?

The Toronto Blue Jays make their much-anticipated return to the playoffs today in a Wild-Card series bout against the Seattle Mariners. Here’s a look at who’s hot (and who’s not) for both teams heading into the series.

**Stats from the last two weeks of the regular season

Toronto Blue Jays: Who’s Hot?

Whit Merrifield – 4 HR, .417 AVG, 1.181 OPS, 234 wRC+ (14 games)

After a disappointing first half to the season, the veteran second baseman turned back the clock recently with the Blue Jays, showing Toronto fans the type of player he was in his prime with the Kansas City Royals. It remains to be seen how big of a role Merrifield will play in the Wild-Card series, but a steady presence in the lower half of the lineup would be a huge boost for the Blue Jays.

Teoscar Hernandez – 5 HR, .314 AVG, 1.058 OPS, 198 wRC+ (13 games)

George Springer – 4 HR, .319 AVG, .970 OPS, 171 wRC+ (12 games)

Set to face a really strong Seattle Mariners pitching staff, the Jays will need to have at least two or three bats really locked in if they want to progress to the next stage of the playoffs. Fortunately, both Teoscar Hernandez and George Springer had fantastic finishes to their season and will be at the forefront of the lineup’s efforts to provide ample run support for the pitching staff.

Blue Jays Pitching

Adam Cimber – 7.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 SV/HLD (8 games)

Jordan Romano – 6.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 SV/HLD (6 games)

Cimber and Romano are two relievers who simply did not give up a run in the final two weeks of the season. The continued success of both pitchers will be crucial as the Blue Jays will undoubtedly need to win close games in the playoffs. If it comes down to a bullpen battle, Romano and Cimber will need to continue stepping up to the occasion.

Alek Manoah – 13.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.19 FIP (2 starts)

Ross Stripling – 11.0 IP, 0.82 ERA, 2.02 FIP (2 starts)

Kevin Gausman – 15.1 IP, 2.35 ERA. 2.07 FIP (3 starts)

There’s not much I need to say about these three Blue Jays starters. All three pitchers have been incredibly reliable and consistent throughout the season and the Blue Jays would surely not be in this position without them. Perhaps one small concern for the postseason is Gausman’s recent injury to his finger, but the veteran righty himself stated he was ‘good to go’ for whenever the Blue Jays need him.

Toronto Blue Jays: Who’s (Not) Hot?

Matt Chapman – 0 HR, .098 AVG, .400 OPS, 41 wRC+ (13 games)

Regardless of what he does with the bat, Matt Chapman can always contribute to this team with his strong defensive efforts. However, Chapman’s sluggish end to the season is definitely a concern for the Toronto Blue Jays. If there is a silver lining, the swing-and-miss tendencies weren’t the concern (22.6 K%).

Alejandro Kirk – 1 HR, .146 AVG, .401 OPS, 43 wRC+ (12 games)

Alejandro Kirk is another Blue Jays bat that’s struggling at the wrong time. He’s still showing excellent plate discipline (12.8 BB% vs. 12.8 K%) but the lack of power is the cause for concern. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, if Kirk continues to struggle in the playoffs, they have a more-than-capable deputy in Danny Jansen who finished his year on a positive note.

José Berríos – 13.1 IP, 8.10 ERA, 3.49 FIP (3 starts)

It’s been a weird season for José Berríos as he’s alternated between streaks of brilliance and struggle. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, it doesn’t seem like the Puerto Rican righty is on one of his hot streaks right now. However, the 3.49 FIP is definitely an encouraging sign and the Blue Jays will need Berríos at his best if they have hopes of playing deep into October baseball.

Yimi Garcia – 5.1 IP, 8.44 ERA, 5.36 FIP (6 games)

One of the Blue Jays’ best relievers this season, Yimi Garcia’s struggles have come at an inopportune time. After going through a stretch where he gave up nine runs combined in four straight appearances, Garcia does seem to have righted the ship a bit with two clean outings to end the season. Still, it’ll be a big worry for the Blue Jays if they can’t rely on Garcia to throw shutdown innings in high-leverage playoff situations.

Seattle Mariners: Who’s (Not) Hot?

Eugenio Suarez – 0 HR, .250 AVG, 37.1 K%, 66 wRC+ (8 games)

J.P. Crawford – 0 HR, .135 AVG, .482 OPS, 71 wRC+ (12 games)

Carlos Santana – 0 HR, .213 AVG, .570 OPS, 76 wRC+ (14 games)

A trio of Seattle Mariners makes the list with their slow finishes to the season. Eugenio Suarez will always be a threat with his power, but he failed to hit any home runs in the final two weeks of the season and struck out at an alarming rate. Moreover, both Crawford and Santana have struggled to make an offensive impact recently, an encouraging trend for the Blue Jays’ pitching staff.

George Kirby – 12.1 IP, 7.30 ERA, 4.25 FIP (3 starts)

One of four talented starters for the Mariners, Kirby was a little shaky in the last few starts of his season. It remains to be seen whether we will see Kirby as a starter or a reliever for this series, but Kirby’s recent struggles will certainly be welcome news for Blue Jays hitters.