Blue Jays manager John Schneider explained his line of thinking for the pitching decisions he made in the eighth inning of Game 5, an inning that ultimately cost Toronto the game and put them in a 3-2 ALCS hole.
Schneider said he wanted the part of the Seattle Mariners’ order that was due up in the eighth to “see different guys” and reiterated that he still trusts left-hander Brendon Little despite his late-season struggles.
“Wanted that part of the lineup to see different guys, right? We talked about it all series. Little’s been one of our best pitchers in big spots. Tough guy to elevate. Cal [Raleigh] is a really good hitter,” Schneider said.
“After that, you gotta settle down and throw strikes too. That’s been part of Little’s game, so have strikeouts. Again, I trust every single guy on this roster, you know? It’s hard. No one feels worse than Little, no one feels worse than [Seranthony Dominguez] right now. Or me. But I trust every single guy on this roster. Today it didn’t work out but we’ve won two games in a row a whole lot this year.”
With the Jays leading 2-1, Schneider turned to Little to face the heart of the Mariners’ order. Little surrendered a leadoff home run to MLB leader Cal Raleigh, a switch-hitter, to tie the game. He then walked each of his next two hitters and was removed in favour of Dominguez, who was no better.
The right-hander hit Randy Arozarena to load the bases with nobody out and then allowed a towering grand slam to Eugenio Suarez that broke the game open and brought Seattle to within one win of the World Series. The homer was Suarez’s second of the night after he went deep off starter Kevin Gausman in the second inning.
A night earlier, the Jays used closer Jeff Hoffman in the bottom of the eighth inning of their Game 4 win with the meat of the Mariners’ order due up, who Hoffman retired in order. Facing a similar situation Friday except with a far slimmer lead, Schneider opted for Little, who took ownership of his shaky performance after the game.
“Obviously, it feels terrible. The whole game, they put us in a position to win. I came in and really couldn’t have pitched worse,” Little told reporters.
Little was effective in the early part of the season, but has a 6.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over his last 21 appearances.
Game 6 of the ALCS will go Sunday night in Toronto with the Blue Jays needing a victory to extend their season. Trey Yesavage will get the ball and if necessary, Game 7 will go Monday night with Shane Bieber expected to take the mound for the Jays.