All Hail the Mighty Bloomquist, Again!

Baseball is a pretty weird game. You just never know what to expect.

take last night’s game for example. My eyes glazed over after the Blue Jays took advantage and scored three runs on the Lopez flub to jump ahead of the M’s by a 6-2 score.. Considering the fact that I’ve seen this story played out an untold number of times, along with the fact that I was growing increasingly irritated with the vocal supporters of the Jays in the stands at Safeco (Canada Day? Nice promo, that.) I turned off FSN.

Little did I know the game would become perhaps the best Mariners victory of the season, so far. And it was all so obvious. I mean, after chipping away at he Blue Jays bullpen with a run in the sixth and two more runs in the seventh, of course Richie Sexson- who had gone 25 games and 80 at-bats since last going yard- would lead off the eighth with a game-tying home run. And after loading the bases against Scott Downs, a pitcher with a 26 inning scoreless streak on the line, of course it would be the heroics of the Mighty Willie Bloomquist- still searching for his first extra base hit in 86 at-bats- to push the winning run across for a 7-6 victory. Huzzah!

I have learned my lesson.  From this day forward, I shall never turn off a Mariners game in progress.  I bow my head in shame.

Oh, and don’t look now, but the Mariners are playing .600 ball (7-4) since McLaren’s dismissal.  Now instead of a mediocre team 22 games under .500, they are a mediocre team 19 games under .500.

Tonight’s rubber game pits Jarrod Washburn,  fresh off a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres in his fourth straight start of tossing at least five innings and allowing no more than two runs, will face off against Dustin McGowan.  Washburn has struggled in his career against the Blue Jays, dropping seven of nine decisions despite giving up just one run over six innings in a no-decision five starts ago that the M’s eventually came out on top by a 3-2 score.  McGowan, meanwhile, had an even better start, limiting the M’s to five hits and one run in a complete game 3-1 victory in his debut outing against Seattle, walking two and striking out seven including Jose Lopez three times.

Expect the M’s to mount more of a serious challenge against McGowan this time around.  Washburn should be able to continue his streak of strong starts against a Blue Jays offense that rivals Seattle’s for ineptitude.  I’m lloking for the M’s to come out on top by a 3-2 score, which means Washburn could be looking at a possible two-game winning streak!  Holy cow, wouldn’t that be something?