Blue Jays look to take care of unfinished business versus Mariners

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There was to be a long flight on Thursday night, followed by a game that will feel like it’s being played in the middle of the night on Friday, followed in turn by a body clock-destroying Saturday afternoon contest for Day 2  of the Blue Jays latest trip to the Pacific Northwest.

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Adding to the gruelling nature of the pending assignment for the team could be recollections of its dodgy previous visit to the Emerald City, a losing four-game sweep that qualifies as one of the lower points in recent franchise history, which is truly saying something.

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Still, the team’s annual visit to Seattle — always on a summer weekend, always with thousands of western Canadian Jays fans living large – could be a welcome boost to a team that keeps teasing its fan base with signs it might be on the verge of a major surge forward.

The seemingly endless search for a launch pad into a run of sustained good form — and perhaps a run at the AL East title — begins at T-Mobile Park for the first of three on Friday. Fans from Vancouver, Calgary, Regina and towns in between will do their part, hoping the Jays have more to offer than the previous party gone awry.

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Top of mind, no doubt, will be the opportunity to erase memories of July 2022, a demoralizing thrashing at the hands of the Mariners to dull what is usually an incredibly festive sporting weekend.

“Not just that series, but that trip in general for a variety of different reasons on and off the field,” manager John Schneider said, recalling the early July 2022 trip, a poor run that had the potential to take the Jays out of playoff contention at the time. “It was a credit to them for getting their feet back underneath them.

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“Baseball always goes on and guys understand that, even with tough times and tough stretches and things out of their control a little bit. It says a lot of how they understand the sense of urgency, how they understand where we were in the season.

“Much like where we are now, the runway gets smaller and smaller.”

To be clear, Schneider is in no way comparing the 2023 battles with the off-the-rails mess that dragged down the Jays in Seattle last season.

There was unrest in the clubhouse, eventually leading to the firing of Charlie Montoyo following a four-game sweep at the hands of the Mariners.

There was calamity on the field as well, most notably a ball that went through the webbing of first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s glove, which was the flashpoint in turning a 4-1 lead into a 6-5 loss in a Sunday contest to finish off the sweep.

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But with the managerial change, the Jays eventually righted themselves, leading to a wild card playoff berth and subsequent exit at the hands of these same Mariners. So, yes, there’s some business to address with their expansion cousins.

Fast-forward to this tour stop, part of a six-game, two-city trip that includes a stop in Chavez Ravine for three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The assignment will be a daunting one before the Jays even hit the field on Friday night with their body clocks checking in at 10 p.m. ET. The worst might come the next day, when they bounce back for an afternoon affair just as the effects of jet lag and time zones kick in.

“It’s long travel,” Schneider said of the journey that awaited following Thursday’s 4-0 win over the Padres at the Rogers Centre. “The time change part of it, if you ask most guys, it’s usually the second day (that’s worse.) But baseball players are uniquely talented to roll with it.”

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Travel woes and last year’s debacle aside, it’s still a trip that the Jays relish for the scene and noise of Jays fans alone. Those who have experienced it rave about the demonstration of coast-to-coast appeal for the team and those who haven’t can’t wait to see it first hand.

That the latest journey comes 97 games into the season opens up the possibility of therapeutic benefits.

“Everyone that has been through it really enjoys it,” said Schneider, who will making his third trip with the team, but first as manager. “It’s a great support system there and it gives you a jolt of energy, too. Hopefully (having Canadian fans there) helps with the time change and travel. It kind of gives guys a shot in the arm.”

This trip has the opportunity to do much for the Jays, especially given how the AL East race has tightened near the top of the division. Under Schneider’s watch, the team has moved well beyond last year’s unsightly Seattle stop, albeit with lessons learned.

“We kind of went through the same thing in May this year,” Schneider said of the inevitable down swings in an MLB season. “And when you come out of it, you realize teams are going to go through that.

“It’s going to happen and it’s how you respond and what you do going forward out of those times that define who you are.”

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