Why Blue Jays Game 5 ALCS loss can only partly be blamed on bullpen meltdown

Electing to use Brendon Little in a one-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 5 of the ALCS will be a decision that Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider will forever have to defend. It led to Cal Raleigh leading off the inning with a game tying home run.

Whether you look at the stats; Raleigh has been better facing lefties this season with a .281 average and a 1.032 OPS compared to a .231 average and .909 OPS against righties. Whether you look at the situation; Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman shut the door against the top of the order in the eighth inning in Game 4 and wasn't used in Game 5. Or whether you look at the strategy; Schneider told reporters after the game that he wanted the Mariners to "see different guys." The overall result is that it was not a good move, plain and simple.

With that out of the way, Game 5 also came down to the fact that the Blue Jays didn't do enough at the plate to win this game and the Mariners are now one win away from going to the World Series.

Why Blue Jays Game 5 ALCS loss can only partly be blamed on bullpen

The Blue Jays had just seven hits after putting up a combined 29 during Games 3 and 4. They drew four walks, but left eight runners on base and went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. All night long the Blue Jays failed to come up with a clutch hit, and to the Mariners credit, they made a couple of big defensive plays that kept the game close.

In the top of the third, Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the inning with a double, just like he did in Game 4. That brought Andrés Giménez to the plate in a very familiar situation. In Games 3 and 4, Giménez hit a home run in the top of the third inning.

And while he put together a good at-bat against Bryce Miller and pulled a ball 99.4 mph that was headed towards right field, but Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor nabbed it just before it touched the ground and then doubled off Kiner-Falefa at second.

The very next inning the Blue Jays had the bases loaded and nobody out and Miller was seemingly on the ropes after walking Alejandro Kirk. But he struck out Daulton Varsho on five pitches and got Ernie Clement to ground into an 1-3 double play on a ball that went only inches away from home plate.

In the fifth, George Springer tied the game with a two-out RBI double, and Nathan Lukes followed with a walk to put two men on with two out for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who had seemingly come through in these big moments throughout the postseason. But Kingston, Ontario native Matt Brash struck out Vladdy on a 96 mph 3-2 sinker that Vladdy swung through to end the inning.

The Blue Jays also had runners on first and second with two out in the seventh inning, but Kirk wasn't able to get either guy home, grounding out on two pitches against Bryan Woo, before Gabe Speier and Andrés Muñoz sat down the last six hitters in order during the eighth and ninth.

The offense the Blue Jays were able to generate during the past two games was almost non-existent in Game 5 and aside from the bullpen woes, that will have to be addressed quickly if the Blue Jays want to force a Game 7.