Another ninth-inning collapse, another blown save, another disappointing loss at home.

It was all too familiar for the Blue Jays in the first of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. A grand slam in the 10th sealed the defeat — turning the scoreboard an ugly 9-5 in favour of the visiting Mariners — after the Jays missed ending the game on a routine grounder with two out in the ninth.

“Sure enough the baseball gods smile down once again,” said third baseman Brett Lawrie, who made the costly throwing error that allowed the tying run to reach base.

When he says smile, Lawrie means cackle, because he knows that if you make a mistake to let another major-league team into the game, they will rarely disappoint. “We definitely gave one away tonight.”

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The Jays’ late-game collapse wasted another strong performance by their starting pitcher, but on this night it was sloppy defence and a shaky bullpen — not a lack of offence — that undid the quality outing from ace lefty Ricky Romero.

“It’s important for us to kind of just flush it away and just forget about it,” Romero said. “… I know Brett’s going to be fine and this team is too. We believe in each other and it’s just a little rough stretch we’re going through right now.”

The loss, their fourth in a row, evens the Jays’ record to 10-10.

NINTH INNING LETDOWN

The Mariners tied the game in an all-around sloppy ninth inning by the Jays, who have yet to show a consistent killer instinct late in games. Interim closer Francisco Cordero entered the final frame with a 5-3 lead, but coughed up a solo home run to the second batter he faced, Michael Saunders. But Cordero settled down, made a second out and the Jays looked to be on their way out of the game when pinch-hitter Kyle Seager grounded the ball to Lawrie, who threw the ball into the dirt in front of first baseman Adam Lind. J.P. Arencibia then doubled-down on Lawrie’s error by making one of his own, missing the mark on a pickoff attempt that sailed into right field and allowed pinch-runner Munenori Kawasaki to advance to third. Kawasaki tied the game on a single to centre by pinch-hitter John Jaso.

“I thought J.P. in that situation probably didn’t make the right decision,” said manager John Farrell after the game.

While admitting he missed on the throw, the team’s young catcher was unrepentant.

“I play the game to win,” he said. “… Is it a tough situation? Yeah, but I don’t shy away from it. If I make that throw, get the guy out, game’s over, that’s it, don’t give the guy a chance. I don’t play scared. I play aggressive. Sometimes you get burned, but sometimes it works. Today it obviously backfired. It’s a high-risk play, but I’d do it again.”

TROUBLE IN THE 10TH

Usually dependable Luis Perez, who had yet to give up a run in more than 12 innings of relief, took the mound in the 10th inning. He has been by far the team’s most effective reliever, but gave up three straight singles to the middle of the Mariners order, before Saunders stepped up to the plate and cleared the bases with his second long ball in as many innings.

THE LEAD THAT WAS

The Jays took a two-run lead in the eighth, when they mounted a collective offensive attack for the first time in the game. Eric Thames plastered the first pitch he saw in the inning with a laser of a line-drive home run to right-centre field. Lawrie then scored what looked to be the insurance run on a sacrifice fly by Arencibia.

ROMERO vs. BEAVAN

It took until the sixth inning before the Mariners registered a hit against Romero, though he battled through a sloppy third inning in which he walked the first two batters on eight consecutive balls, the lead runner advanced on a missed double-play opportunity and then scored on Lawrie’s first error of the game. Romero gave up two earned runs, both in the seventh, off a home run to Jesus Montero and a pair of hits by Miguel Olivo and Casper Wells, but otherwise delivered a stellar performance in his fifth start of the season. In all, Romero pitched 6? innings, giving up four hits and three walks, with five strikeouts. Mariners starter Blake Beavan, meanwhile, only put up two clean innings, giving up seven hits and three runs in 5?.

ENCARNACION KEEPS ROLLING

Edwin Encarnacion, who has been the Jays most consistent hitter, opened the scoring in the second inning with his team-leading fifth home run. Encarnacion, who has hit 12 of his 24 hits for extra bases, took Beavan deep to centre field, landing the ball in the lap of a couple eating dinner in the Windows restaurant. Encarnacion added a double in the fourth inning, and was driven home by Colby Rasmus, who snapped his 0-for-10 hitless streak with back-to-back extra-base hits in his first two at-bats. Rasmus used his speed to lengthen a hit into the alley in right centre into a triple; and in the fourth, drove home Encarnacion and Thames with a double down the right-field line.

UP NEXT

The Jays’ No. 2 starter Brandon Morrow, who is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA in four starts, goes up against veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood in a 4:07 p.m. start on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.

BALTIMORE — Dustin McGowan has been shut down again, as the Blue Jays pitcher will be sidelined for another 14 days after an MRI showed shoulder inflammation.

Already on the disabled list as he recovers from a foot injury suffered in spring training in late March, McGowan suffered a setback during his rehab throwing program this week.

“There was no new damage, but unfortunately he’s shut down for two weeks,” said Blue Jays manager John Farrell in advance of Thursday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. “It’s disappointing on a number of levels. We were banking on him to be part of this rotation.”

The 30-year-old McGowan, who signed a two-year contract extension worth $4.1 million last month, has pitched only 21 innings since 2009. He was scheduled to be the fifth starter when spring training opened before plantar fasciitis derailed the team’s plans for him.

The Blue Jays broke camp with Joel Carreno as the fifth starter. He has since been replaced with 21-year-old Drew Hutchison, who gets his second career big league start Thursday.

McGowan began a throwing program at the team’s facility in Dunedin, Fla., last week. He had only advanced to tossing at 100-120 feet, Farrell said, before feeling discomfort. McGowan hadn’t even progressed to tossing from flat ground, let alone the mound.

“He never seemed to get freeness to it,” said Farrell.

McGowan has been dealing with ongoing injuries, and subsequent surgeries, since 2008. He’s had three major procedures — on his shoulder, knee and rotator cuff.

Although they probably weren’t in any hurry to leave Kansas City, the Toronto Blue Jays also have enjoyed their recent visits to Baltimore.

After sweeping a four-game series from the majors’ worst team, the Blue Jays look to continue their road success Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game set against the Orioles.

Coming off back-to-back losses at home to Tampa Bay, Toronto (10-6) found the perfect opponent in the ideal place over the weekend.

The Blue Jays completed their first four-game road sweep since 2003 with a 4-1 victory Monday night over the Royals, who finished a winless 10-game homestand. Home runs by Kelly Johnson and Jose Bautista helped Toronto improve to 6-1 on the road for the second time in three seasons.

A win in this series opener would match the Jays’ longest road win streak from last season and would be their 13th in 19 games at Camden Yards since the start of 2010. The last two there haven’t been close, with the Blue Jays winning both by a combined 21-6 score and pounding out 17 of 33 hits for extra bases.

“They’re playing good, and we’re playing good,” Bautista told the team’s official website. “It’s always very important to win against teams in your division, so it’s an important series.”

The Orioles (9-7) return home after winning six of 10 on the road, marking the first time they won more than they lost during a 10-game trip since September 2004.

Nick Markakis hit a two-run single in the eighth inning and a run-scoring single in the 10th to help Baltimore avoid a sweep with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Markakis is 7 for 20 (.350) in his last five games after going 3 for 35 (.086) in his previous nine.

“I feel like I’m comfortable at the plate, but things just weren’t coming,” Markakis said. “But it’s a long season and it’s still early.”

A key to Sunday’s victory was a rare error-free game by the Orioles, who committed six in the first two games of the series and have made an AL-high 19. Baltimore is 4-0 when it doesn’t commit a miscue.

The Orioles hope to have left fielder Nolan Reimold back in the lineup after the team’s hottest hitter sat out the last two games with neck spasms. Reimold is batting .405 (17 for 42) with five homers and 10 RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.

Henderson Alvarez (0-1, 4.66 ERA) starts for Toronto looking to rebound from one of the worst starts of his brief career. The right-hander allowed six runs and six hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 9-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Facing the Orioles for the second time this season could help Alvarez get back on track. He is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in three starts against Baltimore, yielding three runs in seven innings April 14 before leaving without a decision in a 6-4 loss.

Chris Davis is one of the few Orioles to give Alvarez trouble, going 4 for 5 with a homer and double.

Also coming off a poor performance is Baltimore’s Tommy Hunter (1-1, 5.79), who was tagged for eight runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings Wednesday in an 8-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The right-hander matched a career high with eight strikeouts but surrendered two homers.

The long ball was a problem for Hunter against the Blue Jays on April 13, when he gave up four in six innings. He didn’t receive a decision in a 7-5 win.

Yunel Escobar had one of his two homers off Hunter in that game, and is 7 for 14 with three doubles in their matchups.

Injuries derailed a promising start to 2011 for the Cleveland Indians, but there’s a lot of optimism heading into this season – even if that feeling may not be shared by outsiders.

The Indians open play Thursday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, who feel they can take another step toward better competing in the AL East.

Cleveland led the AL Central for 95 games last season after jumping out to a fast start. By May 23, the Indians were 30-15 and seven games in front of Detroit, but they stumbled over the next two months and finished 15 games behind the first-place Tigers.

A glance at their roster late in the year shows why they finished 80-82. Travis Hafner was limited to 94 games, Shin-Soo Choo to 85 and Grady Sizemore played in 71. The pitching staff also struggled with injuries.

The Indians may not be favored to win the division but feel that if they stay healthy they can be more competitive than last season, when young players like Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis earned valuable playing time.

“It is not a fluke when you lead a division for as long as they did last year,” said veteran right-hander Derek Lowe, acquired in the offseason after three years with Atlanta. “This team can do it again, and hopefully go all the way.”

One reason for the good feelings heading into 2012 is Asdrubal Cabrera, who is coming off a breakthrough year.

Providing a rare combination of production and durability for the Indians, Cabrera hit .273 with career highs of 25 homers and 92 RBIs in 151 games.

On Wednesday, Cleveland finalized a three-year deal with the shortstop, who avoided salary arbitration by signing a $4.55 million contract for 2012 this winter. He will make $6.5 million in 2013 and $10 million in 2014.

Cleveland hopes Cabrera avoids a dropoff in production as it opens the season without Sizemore, who will not be eligible to come off the disabled list until June 3 after undergoing back surgery last month.

The oft-injured center fielder hurt his back while fielding balls early in spring training. He was looking to bounce back after hitting .224 with 10 homers, 32 RBIs and 34 runs in 2011.

A strong rotation, highlighted by Thursday’s starter Justin Masterson, also has the team excited and hoping to surprise people.

“A year ago, we were supposed to be the worst team in the world,” said Masterson, who went 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA last season. “Well, we believed in ourselves and snuck under the radar on some teams. We’re out to do that again. Why not? It’s like the NCAA tournament. A lot of the big teams end up losing to the guys who are hungry.”

Last season’s opening day starter, Roberto Hernandez (formerly Fausto Carmona), remains in the Dominican Republic with visa issues stemming from using a false identity. It is uncertain if he’ll pitch for Cleveland this season.

Masterson is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 10 appearances – two starts – against Toronto. The right-hander pitched one scoreless inning in relief in his only appearance versus the Blue Jays in 2011.

Toronto’s optimism for 2012 may be more tempered given the division it plays in. The Blue Jays have finished fourth in the AL East in four straight seasons, going 81-81 in 2011.

Still, despite being a perennial afterthought behind New York, Boston and Tampa Bay, at least one Toronto player doesn’t think it’s outlandish to discuss reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

“We still have a lot of work to do, and we understand that,” Thursday’s starter Ricky Romero told the Blue Jays’ official website. “(But) this team is building that swagger that, in the past, we really didn’t have.

“If we don’t win, we’re going to be sitting in October, scratching our heads and wondering what happened.”

Toronto returns a strong offense, which ranked fifth in the majors last season with 186 homers and sixth with 743 runs.

The Blue Jays hope that Brett Lawrie can duplicate his production from late last season. After being called up in August, he hit .293 with nine homers and 25 RBIs in 43 games.

A big season from Lawrie and Adam Lind – who has failed to match his success from 2009 when he had 35 homers and 114 RBIs – could ease the pressure on Jose Bautista, who led the majors with 54 home runs in 2010 and 43 last season.

“I think we have a very real ability to increase upon what we did last year, and that’s with a full year of Lawrie and some other guys,” manager John Farrell said. “I don’t think it’s solely reliant on guys having career years. If they go out and perform to their capabilities, we’ve got a deep lineup.”

Romero will anchor the rotation after going 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA in 2011.

The left-hander didn’t face the Indians last season and is 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three starts against them.

The Indians won three of the first four meetings in 2011 before Toronto ended the season series with three straight wins in Cleveland.

John Farrell had a steep learning curve in his first year as a big-league manager after four seasons as a pitching coach with the Boston Red Sox.

It took some time for the Blue Jays manager to get used to the rigours of his new job with a different organization, coaching staff and players. Farrell used a more aggressive approach on the basepaths but the Jays’ pitching was inconsistent and the team finished fourth in the American League East with a .500 record.

Expectations will be higher in 2012 for the Blue Jays, who open the season Thursday in Cleveland, and Farrell said he’s ready to apply what he learned last year to help his team improve.

“When to push, when to back off, how to put guys in the best position for success,” he said in a recent interview. “You always look for those opportunities to make the most of a player’s given skill set. But our team has changed. Our roster has clearly changed.

“We’ve got more flexibility, we’ve got I think a deeper roster with some different players coming off the bench.”

Farrell seems to handle the juggling act of dealing with players, coaches and the game with aplomb, his no-nonsense demeanour often cracked with a laugh and a smile.

The Blue Jays enjoy playing for him and he appears to have the right mix of toughness and friendliness for the job.

“I think most of the fans see John in the dugout and very, very serious,” said bench coach Don Wakamatsu. “It’s the other side that people don’t realize. His sense of humour, his relational skills with the players, how much they respect him and how well he processes information.

“Obviously there’s a lot going on in spring training and to be able to handle the media, deal with the players, deal with the scheduling and come every day with a great attitude — he does a phenomenal job.”

Farrell’s next mission is simple — get his team into contention in what is arguably the toughest division in baseball.

Toronto’s bullpen is deeper this year and Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow should offer a solid 1-2 punch at the front end of the rotation. There are question marks after that though.

Brett Cecil is coming off a poor season — he was demoted to double-A on Tuesday — Dustin McGowan has injury issues and Henderson Alvarez and Kyle Drabek are unproven youngsters. The relievers did a nice job over the first two months of last season before the extra work caught up to them.

One of Farrell’s priorities this spring was to instil a mindset among his starters on the importance of going deeper into games.

“We had too many of those games where it was the fifth inning and we’re already going to the bullpen,” he said.

Farrell, a 49-year-old native of Monmouth Beach, N.J., has a pitching background. He broke in with the Indians in 1987 and made 109 starts over eight seasons with Cleveland, California and Detroit.

Farrell moved into the coaching ranks in 1997 with Oklahoma State University as an assistant coach and pitching/recruiting co-ordinator. He joined the Indians as director of player development in 2001.

He spent five years with Cleveland before joining the Red Sox as pitching coach in November 2006. Boston won a World Series the next year. Farrell was named the 12th manager in Blue Jays history in October 2010.

Wakamatsu said Farrell’s background serves him well.

“I think it’s very important, No. 1 to be able to be in a winning organization and understand what it feels like and tastes like to have a World Series under your belt,” Wakamatsu said. “But also the amount of time starting from college all the way up through running minor-league organizations to being in one of the top programs in professional baseball.

“And now having an opportunity to run his own, he can draw on those experiences and have a little bit more of a calmness to it.”

The Canadian Press

The Toronto Blue Jays this season will have a tough time competing in the stacked American League East, but don’t ignore them on your fantasy baseball draft day. Toronto has a couple of must-own fantasy stars, plus a few others who can make a difference on your team. Here are the five best fantasy Jays.

Brett Lawrie.
Wikimedia Commons

5. Brandon Morrow (SP) — Morrow has filthy stuff (league-leading 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings in 2011), but he’s wildly inconsistent and, well, just plain wild. He walked 69 batters and hit 12 others last season. Those base runners caught up with him, as his earned run average increased for the third straight season. On the bright side, Morrow’s hits allowed per nine innings and WHIP ratio declined for the second straight year. The encouraging signs make him worthy of a late-round pick.

4. Adam Lind (OF) — Lind teased fantasy baseball owners in 2009 with 35 home runs and 114 RBI, all while batting .305. In the two years since then, he has batted .243 and averaged 24 homers and 80 RBI. It’s difficult to explain that one great year, although it’s starting more and more to look like a fluke. Does Lind have the potential to hit another 30 homers again? Yes, but don’t risk a pick before round 12.

3. Ricky Romero (SP) — Romero pitched to a career-best 2.92 ERA last season and posted a record of 15-11. Be advised, however, that he allowed 26 home runs, a drastic increase from 15 the year before (note: he pitched a career-high 225 innings). I’m not saying to avoid him on draft day, but his ERA may be on the other side of 3.00 in 2012. That being said, pick him up in round 10 or 11, as he also has the potential to improve at age 27.

2. Brett Lawrie (3B) — Lawrie’s immense potential makes him one the most intriguing draft prospects in fantasy baseball. Last year, he batted .293 with 25 RBI and blasted nine homers in 150 at-bats. Lawrie didn’t have a track record of hitting for prodigious power in the minor leagues, so his long ball binge may be misleading. Still, he’s good enough to go in the fifth round, maybe sooner in keeper leagues.

1. Jose Bautista (3B/OF) — Nevermind being the best player on his team, Bautista easily is one of the best players in fantasy baseball. Over the last two seasons, he has clubbed 97 home runs—the most in the Major Leagues—and knocked in a total of 227 runs. It’s doubftul that he’ll hit .302 again (he’s a career .254 batter), but few can match his monster power and run production. Given his third base eligibility in most leagues, he’s arguably a top-three overall pick.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, draft projections are based on participation in a 10-team fantasy baseball league with standard 5×5 scoring.

Adam Martini is a freelance sports writer who roots for the New York Mets (and any team that is playing the New York Yankees ). A dedicated fantasy baseball player since 1998, his games of choice growing up were Strat-O-Matic and MicroLeague Baseball.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com.

The Official Site of Major League Baseball.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Toronto was one of the MLB teams that tried desperately to bring in some top-notch free agents this winter, but the team had little success.

The Blue Jays and their fans have high expectations for the upcoming season, especially with the added teams that will make the playoffs this season. Toronto has a good offensive club, but the pitching rotation could use some help, and that has led to trade rumors already surfacing before the start of the baseball season.

The latest from Bleacher Report suggests that the Blue Jays could acquire Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs at some stage of the 2012 year, and it makes sense as the team has the young prospects to make such a deal happen and the front office has shown the willingness to add quality players.

Garza has pitched in the AL East before with the Tampa Bay Rays and has pitched well in pressure situations, making him a logical choice for the Blue Jays to pursue. The 28-year-old went 15-10 for the Rays two years ago and 10-10 with an outstanding 3.32 ERA for the Cubs in 2011.

If the team gets off to a good start and shows signs of contending for the MLB playoffs, don’t be surprised to see the front office makes some moves to acquire pitching and Garza should be tops on their list.