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What should have been back-to-back series sweeps turned into a road split as the Blue Jays return home from a West Coast trip where wins were literally thrown away.
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Still, going .500 is never a bad thing, but it’s how the Jays went 3-3 following their stay in Seattle and Los Angeles that will leave many wanting.
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Given the events of Tuesday night and how an over-used bullpen gave up four nine-inning runs in an eventual loss in extra innings, credit the Blue Jays for flushing their folly and bouncing back to beat the Dodgers 8-1 in Wednesday’s series finale.
Toronto went 2-1 in L.A. after going 1-2 in Seattle.
In all three losses, the Jays blew leads, but the one that stung most was the 8-7 debacle Tuesday when the visitors took a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Whit Merrifield and Danny Jansen provided the necessary punch in the series rubber match.
Yusei Kikuchi set the tone by pitching in one of his biggest games as a Blue Jay when one takes into account the previous night’s devastation.
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He was good in Seattle against his former team, but even better against the Dodgers when the Blue Jays needed Kikuchi to be at his best.
He delivered.
Even though so much was left out on the field during the six-game trip, the Jays can breathe a sigh of relief.
Following an off day Thursday, the Jays begin a 17-game stretch played over 17 days.
Baseball’s trade deadline arrives next Tuesday.
Bullpen arms are always coveted.
The way Kikuchi pitched, the need to acquire a starter isn’t so urgent.
A bat will be welcome, but not when the likes of Jansen and Whitfield are coming up big.
More than anything, the Jays need George Springer to step up at the plate and can also use a hit by anyone when runners are in scoring position.
Bo Bichette is back to being Bo Bichette.
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On the surface, a 3-3 trip against the Mariners and Dodgers looks good.
Do a deeper dive and one cites the walk-off loss to the M’s in one game, another that got away when the Jays were leading and Tuesday’s debacle.
Had the Jays been able to take care of business, they’d be coming home with a 6-0 record.
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WHIT’S A HIT
Normally, Merrifield makes noise with his bat.
He did knock in the game’s first run Wednesday on a sacrifice fly.
In his second at-bat, he left the bases loaded after striking out swinging to end the third inning.
Merrifield was back in left field.
He has made some nice defensive plays in the outfield, the latest in the series finale when Merrifield fought off the sun to record the out.
He was appearing in his 1,001st career game.
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Merrifield had recorded five hits, including four in the series opener, at Dodger Stadium entering the series finale in 10 at-bats.
He came to the plate with runners at first and second and two outs in the fifth.
Merrifield then lowered the boom for a three-run shot on an 0-2 pitch to give the Jays a 5-0 lead.
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K.K. AND KIKI
Kevin Kiermaier wasn’t in the starting lineup as manager John Schneider continued to rest some of his incumbents.
In the series opener, it was Bichette’s turn.
He did enter the game as a pinch-hitter.
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Then came Springer in the second game.
Similar to Bichette, Springer was used as a pinch-hitter.
Kiermaier was thrown out at the plate in the 10th inning when Bichette stroked his fourth hit of the game into right field.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, welcomed back Kiki Hernandez for the first time after they re-acquired the popular utility player in a trade from Boston earlier in the week.
One of his managers with the Dodgers was Don Mattingly, the Jays’ bench coach.
Mattingly was ejected Wednesday in the top half of the fifth inning arguing a blatant ball that was called a strike with Brandon Belt at the plate.
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THE REAL McCOY
In a minor deal announced by the Blue Jays prior to Wednesday’s series finale, the club acquired minor-leaguer Mason McCoy from the Seattle Mariners.
Toronto shipped out right-hander Trent Thornton, whom the club DFA’d last Friday when the deal to acquire Genesis Cabrera from St. Louis was consummated.
McCoy, a utility infielder, will report to the Jays’ triple-A affiliate in Buffalo.
With Seattle, he was with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners’ triple-A club.
He has yet to appear in the majors.
McCoy, 28, was chosen by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
fzicarelli@postmedia.com
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