SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:

TODAY’S TILT…the Mariners continue an 11-day, 9-game road trip (1-3) with the 2nd of 3 games against the Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)…Seattle opened the trip with a 3-game series against Philadelphia (1-2) and will also visit Oakland (3 G, 5/2-5/4) following tomorrow’s conclusion of the current series in Toronto… today’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson on the call and broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.

ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners lost yesterday’s series opener by a score of 3-2, their 3rd consecutive loss – all in 1-run games…Seattle is 7-9 at T-Mobile Park and 4-6 on the road this season…the Mariners are 7-7 over their last 14 games since April 12.

• Programming Note – Tonight’s Mariners game is back on ROOT SPORTS.

• Hold On – The Mariners have held a lead in 11 of their 15 losses this season.

• 1-Run = No Fun – The Mariners have lost each of their last 3 games by 1 run…5 of Seattle’s last 6 losses have all been by 1 run…Seattle is 3-8 in 1-run games this season, the most losses in 1-run games by any team in the Majors…Seattle led the Majors in 1-run wins in both 2021 and 2022.

• Roger That – Teoscar Hernández ranks 2nd among all active players with 51 career home runs at Rogers Centre, trailing only Josh Donaldson’s 66 home runs at the ballpark…Teo’s 246 career games at Rogers Centre are 3rd-most among active players behind Kevin Pillar (362 G) and Donaldson (257 G).

• Starting Off – Easton McGee is making his first career Major League start today…McGee has appeared in 1 Major League game in his career on Oct. 2, 2022 at Houston with Tampa Bay.

ROSTER MOVES…the Mariners announced the following roster moves earlier today:
• Easton McGee (#59), RHP, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

• Diego Castillo, RHP, optioned to Triple-A Tacoma (post-game April 28).

JARRED KELENIC: AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH?…in 24 games this season, Jarred Kelenic is batting .323 (27×83) with 12 runs, 7 doubles, 7 home runs, 14 RBI, 5 stolen bases and 8 walks, while getting on base at a .380 clip and slugging .663 with a 1.043 OPS…Kelenic ranks among American League leaders in nearly every offensive category…he ranks T1st in slugging (.663), T2nd in fWAR (1.4), 2nd in wRC+ (191), 4th in batting average, T2nd in home runs, 2nd in OPS, T4th in extra-base hits (14), T4th in total bases (55) and T10th in stolen bases…Jarred is batting .381 (8×21) with 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 5 RBI against left-handed pitchers this season…Jarred is batting .414 (15×36) with 4 doubles, 4 home runs and 6 RBI in 10 road games this season.

TOP-RATED PITCHING STAFF…the Mariners are tied for the best pitching staff in the Majors by FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (4.4), tied with Minnesota (4.4), while ranking ahead of Atlanta (4.3), Houston (4.0) and Tampa Bay (4.0)…in 26 games this season, the Mariners staff has posted a 3.70 ERA (97 ER, 235.2 IP) with 81 walks and 234 strikeouts, posting a 1.23 WHIP while holding opponents to a .234 batting average…the Mariners starting rotation ranks 5th in fWAR (3.0), trailing Tampa Bay (3.6), Minnesota (3.3), Houston (3.1) and Philadelphia (3.1)…the Mariners bullpen ranks T4th in fWAR (1.4) with Pittsburgh (1.4) and Los Angeles-AL (1.4), trailing only Baltimore (1.8), Cincinnati (1.5) and Atlanta (1.5).

J.P. THE ON-BASE MACHINE…J.P. Crawford has gotten on base at a .387 clip this season, leading the Mariners and ranking tied for 8th in the American League…his 17 walks this season also lead the Mariners and are tied for 4th in the AL…over his last 15 games since April 11, the shortstop has gotten on base nearly half the time, registering a .471 OBP…during that span, he is batting .308 (12×39) with 10 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, 6 RBI and 12 walks compared to just 9 strikeouts, posting a .958 OPS.

BRASH TACTICS…Matt Brash tossed a scoreless 7th inning in last night’s game with 1 strikeout…he has not allowed a home run over the last calendar year, and has yet to allow a home run as a reliever during his career…he last surrendered a home run in a start on April 29, 2022 at Miami…overall, he has made 49 appearances since allowing a home run, most in the Majors among pitchers that have made at least 1 appearance this season, ranking ahead of 2nd place Andrés Muñoz (46 G, 6/13/22-4/7/23)…Brash’s 49-game streak is tied for the 7th-longest streak in Mariners history and longest since Yoervis Medina (52 G, April 22 – Sept. 19, 2014)…George Sherrill holds the longest homerless streak in club history with 88 consecutive games without a home run from Sept. 19, 2005 – May 2, 2007.

SEAUSWALD…Paul Sewald is 7-for-7 in save opportunities this season, going 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA (5 ER, 13.0 IP) with 3 walks and 17 strikeouts across 13 appearances…the righty has posted a 0.846 WHIP while holding opponents to a .174 batting average (8×46) this season…in 140 appearances with the Mariners (2021-c), Sewald owns the best WHIP (0.889) and lowest opponent batting average (.163/82×504) in franchise history among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched.

MANNY, BONE & NEGRÓN…the Mariners are tied for the 2nd-best defense in the Majors this season according to Baseball Savant’s Outs Above Average…Seattle’s 8 OAA is tied with Los Angeles-AL (8), trailing only Arizona (10) and ranking ahead of San Diego (7) and Detroit (6)…Eugenio Suárez (4 OAA) is tied for 3rd-best in the Majors, while Jose Caballero (2), Jarred Kelenic (1) and Julio Rodríguez (1) all rank positively in the metric.

AS YOU KNOW…Cal Raleigh went 2-for-4 with 1 run, 1 home run and 2 RBI in yesterday’s series opener, and…AS YOU MAY RECALL…Cal hit .500 (4×8) with 4 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBI and 1 walk in the American League Wild Card Series at the Rogers Centre in 2022, but…DID YOU KNOW?… including last year’s Postseason, Cal has homered in 3 of his last 4 games at Rogers Centre?…in 5 career games in the building, Cal is batting .368 (7×19) with 6 runs, 1 double, 3 home runs, 6 RBI and 1 walk, while reaching base at a .400 clip and slugging .895 with a 1.295 OPS.

MARINERS STARTER – RHP EASTON McGEE
ABOUT EASTON McGEE…
• The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher is scheduled to make his 1st Major League start of the season…he is also scheduled to make his first career MLB start (2nd appearance) and 1st against the Toronto Blue Jays

• Selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 4th round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

• Was born in Hopkinsville, KY and attended Hopkinsville High School (KY).

• Was acquired by Seattle from Boston in exchange for cash considerations on 11/9/22.

• In Baseball America’s Triple-A “Best Scouting Tools” survey, was voted as having the International League’s best control as voted on by league managers.

LAST TIME OUT…W#3 in last start with Triple-A Tacoma on 4/23 against El Paso…tossed 6.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 7 hits (1 HR) and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts…the homer was his first allowed this season.

LAST MLB APPEARANCE…tossed 3.0 innings on 10/2/22 with Tampa Bay in his Major League debut… pitched the final 3 innings (6-8) in a 3-1 Rays loss to the Houston Astros…allowed 1 run (0 ER) on 4 hits with 1 strikeout.

DAZZLING IN THE PCL…through 5 Pacific Coast League starts, McGee is 3-0 with a 3.14 ERA (10 ER, 28.2 IP) with 9 walks, 24 strikeouts and just 1 HR allowed…has turned in quality starts in 3-of-5 outings so far…among qualified pitchers, McGee ranks 3rd in ERA, T2nd in wins, T5th in strikeouts, 1st in innings pitched, 7th in opponents average (.241/26×108), 5th in WHIP (1.22).

TIGER PRIDE…is the first player from Hopkinsville High School (KY) to make it to the Major Leagues…joins Trevor Gott as the only current Mariners born in the state of Kentucky.

GOOD STRETCH…in 11 games from 5/4-7/4/22, was 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA (15 ER, 53.2 IP) with 42 strikeouts and 10 walks, while limiting opponents to a .222 (44×198) batting average.

OUCH…spent time on the minor league Injured List from 8/5-30/2022 with right forearm tendinitis.

CAREER…has appeared in parts of 7 minor league seasons, going 31-23 with a 4.30 ERA (232 ER, 485.1 IP) with 357 strikeouts and 95 walks over 106 appearances (96 starts).

QUICK PIT STOP…was claimed by the Boston Red Sox on 10/5/22, the final day of the regular season after being designated for assignment by
the Tampa Bay Rays on 10/3.

MINOR AWARD…was named a Midwest League (High-A) Mid-Season All-Star in 2019 while pitching for the Bowling Green Hot Rods in the Tampa
Bay Rays system.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays took the opener of their weekend series with the Mariners by a score of 3-2 last night… Improved to 7-2 in series openers…Are now 5-1 in one-run games for an AL-best .833 win% in such contests (2nd: TB – .800). Toronto has won five straight games, seven of its last nine, and 16 of its last 22 contests…Toronto’s 17-9 record is tied for the best 26-game start to a season in franchise history (also: 1992, 2001, and 2009).

THE CAPTAIN CONNECTS: Alejandro Kirk got Toronto on the board in the 2nd inning as he tied last night’s game, 1-1, with a solo shot to left-center field…Marked his 2nd longball of the season… Also led off the bottom of the 4th and 6th frames with singles, finishing the game 3-for-4, his 1st three-hit game of the year (15th career). The All-Star catcher has reached base in all 19 of his games with an at-bat for a .419 OBP while going 15- for-57 (.263) with three extra-base hits, 10 RBI, and a 15BB/12K ratio…His walk rate of 4.93 PA/BB is 4th best in the Majors (min. 50 AB) and trails only Ryan Noda (4.59) for tops in the AL.

STAT CHAPMAN: Matt Chapman tied last night’s contest at 2’s in the 3rd inning with an RBI double…His 12 doubles are tied with Wander Franco for the most in the Majors while his 17 extra-base hits lead all batters. The third baseman also celebrated his 30th birthday with a single to finish 2-for-4…Marked his AL-best 11th multi-hit game…Is now batting .370 (34-for-92) with 12 doubles, five homers, 12 walks, and 19 RBI… Ranks 1st in the AL in batting average, OBP (.433), SLG (.663), OPS (1.111), and total bases (61) while sitting 2nd in hits (34) and tied for 10th in RBI…Also continues to lead all MLB hitters in barrel rate (21.0%), is 2nd in average exit velocity (96.0 MPH), and 3rd in hard-hit (95+ MPH) percentage (64.2).

GET ON WHIT IT: Whit Merrifield doubled and singled yesterday, finishing the day 2-for-4…Has reached base safely in all 20 of his games played this season, batting .324 (23-for-71) with seven doubles, 10 RBI, and seven walks…His 20 game on-base stretch is the 2nd-longest active streak in the AL (4th in MLB)…Is the 5th-longest on-base streak of his career (last: 23G from June 20-July 17, 2019).

VLAD TO BE HERE: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk while taking 18 pitches in three plate appearances vs. Luis Castillo… Is now 33-for-102 with five doubles, five homers, 15 RBI, and an 11BB/13K ratio for a .324 AVG (6th in the AL), a .402 OBP (4th), and a .921 OPS (6th)…His 33
hits are tied for 3rd most in the AL while his 53 total bases rank 10th…Has recorded 51 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this year, tied with Paul Goldschmidt for the most in the Majors.

YOUR AVERAGE GUYS: With Whit Merrifield now at enough plate appearances to qualify, Toronto currently owns the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th spots in the AL batting race.

HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are playing their 2nd homestand of the season…Have gone 8-2 so far at Rogers Centre…The .800 win% at home is 2nd best in MLB (TB – .875)… Their 10 home games are tied for 2nd fewest in the Majors (DET – 9)…After this weekend series with Seattle, will hit the road for 10 games, playing in Boston (13-14), Pittsburgh (18-8), and Philadelphia (14-13). Toronto batters lead the AL in home OBP (.357), while ranking 2nd in home AVG (.269), 4th in home OPS (.781) and 6th in home SLG (.424)…The pitching staff has posted a 2.57 ERA during home contests (2nd in the AL) with a .189 opponents’ AVG (2nd) and a 1.03 WHIP (2nd).

HITTING IT: The Blue Jays have notched 231 hits so far this season, 2nd most in the AL (TB: 258)…Are also 2nd in the AL in team batting average (.260), 2nd in OBP (.337), 5th in OPS (.752), and 7th in SLG (.415).

GAUS FOR EXCITEMENT: Kevin Gausman is coming off 7.0 shutout innings in the Bronx on Sunday, allowing three hits while striking out 11 batters without issuing a walk…The 11 K’s tied his most as a Blue Jay, having also done so just two starts earlier (April 12 vs. DET)…Now has 41 strikeouts, tied for the most ever by a Blue Jay in their first five outings of a season (last: himself in 2022), and currently 6th most in the AL.

STARTING SOMETHING: Blue Jays starters during the last nine games have allowed seven runs over 57.1 innings for a 1.10 ERA… Have given up 32 hits and 14 walks while fanning 55 hitters for a .161 opponents’ average and a 0.80 WHIP…Have recorded an AL-high 14 quality starts this season, trailing only Pittsburgh (16) for the most in the Majors.

NO IN BETWEEN: Toronto pitchers have now either allowed four-or-fewer runs or eight-or-more runs in all 26 games this season…According to Stats Perform, this is now the 2nd-longest such streak in the Wild Card era (since 1995), trailing only Cleveland in 2019 (39G).

VS. THE MARINERS: All-Time: 218-202
2023: 1-0 Home: 117-97
Home: 1-0 Rogers Stadium: 75-66
The Blue Jays went 2-5 vs. the Mariners during the regular season last year…Went 2-1 here at Rogers Centre in May but also lost both games to their 1977 expansion cousins during the Wild Card Series in October. George Springer had hits in all six of his regular season games vs. Seattle last year and added two more in the playoffs, combining to go 9-for-32 (.281) with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, and five RBI
(.594 SLG)…In 108 career regular season meetings, has gone 108-for-419 (.258) with 19 doubles, two triples, 24 homers, and 63 RBI (.835 OPS). Bo Bichette batted .297 (11-for-37) in the nine total games vs. the M’s last year, including a double, two home runs, and six RBI…Holds a career .299 (26-for87) average with three doubles, five homers, and 14 RBI in 20 matchups (.820 OPS). Erik Swanson is facing his former club for the 1st time as he was acquired along with Adam Macko in exchange for Teoscar Hernández on Nov. 16, 2022…Was traded to Seattle in 2018 and played four seasons for the M’s, going 4-12 with six saves while posting a 4.13 ERA over 126 appearances.

STARTING PITCHER – Kevin Gausman, RHP #34
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 6th start of the season and his 2nd at Rogers Centre…Earned his 2nd win of the year his last time out on 4/23 at NYY, hurling 7.0 shutout frames with 3 hits, no walks, and a season-high-tying 11 strikeouts. His 41 strikeouts this season are tied for the most ever by a Blue Jay in their first five outings of a season (last: himself in 2022), and are 6th most in the AL in 2023. Owns a 2.80 FIP since the start of the 2020 season, the 2nd-best mark among qualified hurlers (Corbin Burnes – 2.56).

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Gave up a career-high-tying 8 runs (7ER) over 4.2 innings on 4/17 at HOU (7H, 2BB, 5K). Took a no-decision on 4/12 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits over a season-high 8.0 innings with no walks and 11 strikeouts, his most as a Blue Jay…Surrendered a solo home run to Nick Maton with one out in the 4th inning, ending his streak of 15.1 innings without allowing an earned run, the longest stretch to begin a season in franchise history (2nd: Matt Shoemaker – 14.0 IP in 2019). Picked up his 1st win of the year on 4/6 at KC, throwing 6.0 shutout frames with 4 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts…Didn’t allowed an earned run for a 2nd straight outing to begin the season. Took the loss in his season debut on 4/1 at STL, giving up 3 runs (all unearned) on 8 hits and a walk over 6.0 innings with 7 strikeouts.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Set career-best marks in 2021 innings pitched (192.0), wins (14), quality starts (20), ERA (2.81), strikeouts (227), opponents’ AVG (.210), and WHIP (1.04). Named an All-Star for the 1st time in his career in 2021 and finished 6th in NL Cy Young voting…Signed a 5-year deal with Toronto on 12/1/21. Selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

VS. THE MARINERS:
Facing the Mariners for the 9th time (8th start) in his career…Last met the M’s in Game 2 of last year’s AL Wild Card Series, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and a walk over 5.2 frames with 7 strikeouts…Of his 7 career starts vs. SEA, 6 have been quality, posting a 2.64 ERA (13 ER/44.1 IP) with 10 walks and 37 punchouts.