Mariners notebook: A creative lineup vs. a lefty in Toronto

TORONTO – Some very quick notes after the quick turnaround with the day game after night game, starting with another interesting lineup.

Lineup!

Weeks 7
Bloomquist 9
Cano 4
Cruz DH
Seager 5
Ruggiano 8
Morrison 3
Zunino 2
Taylor 6

Paxton

A lot of factors played into the lineup today. Day game after night game, lefty on the hill that has significant history against a number of hitters, and the very interesting playing surface here at Rogers Centre. Let’s start with that.

The Blue Jays installed new turf in the offseason and it is as strange as advertised. If you watched last night you saw Nelson Cruz hit a rocket to right that normally would have been a routine single, but it hit the turf and the right fielder actually had to run in on it. Cruz was aware that this could happen, so he gave a quick look to right as he hit the bag at first and continued on to second. Kyle Seager also had a swinging bunt that had all the appearances of a ball that would go foul, but when it hit the turf it took an abrupt turn back into play.

“Yeah, I saw that when I took grounders before the game. The ball hits there and just starts spinning,” Seager said.

He added that he was worried about fielding a ball like that but instead got a hit on it.

“That’s a hit all the way and I will take it,” he said with a laugh after the game.

Aside from the goofiness with the bounces and rolls, this turf is extremely soft and I would be very surprised if we don’t see Cruz at DH again tomorrow to save his legs and ankles.

Willie Bloomquist is making his first start in right field since 2010. The reason? Partly the turf but mostly the numbers, according to Lloyd McClendon. He’s 20 for 44 in his career against Blue Jays starter Mark Buehrle.

Mike Zunino stays in the lineup despite catching last night’s game. McClendon likes what he has seen from the Zunino/James Paxton combination particularly of late.

“I think they work well together,” he said. “There seems to be a rhythm, not a lot of shaking off. They follow the game plan pretty good.”

It will be interesting to see who he puts behind the plate tomorrow with Taijuan Walker on the hill.

Notes

• Paxton brings a 20-inning scoreless streak into this game. Like Felix Hernandez yesterday, he also had a very rough game in this ballpark back in September when the team was trying to make its way into the postseason. The day before Felix’s start, Paxton gave up nine runs in 2 2/3 innings.

• Austin Jackson went 1 for 5 with three strikeouts yesterday on his rehab assignment with the Rainiers.

“The ankle is feeling good. The bat, not so good,” said McClendon.

• On Fernando Rodney’s bend-but-not-quite-break performance last night, McClendon said that it is the end result that he is most concerned with.

“Hopefully he’s 49 out of 50 with a 6 ERA,” he said. “I don’t care about his ERA, just close the games out. Sometimes it’s not easy.”

Rodney’s stuff has been there throughout the season. The location is what gets him in trouble. I asked McClendon if he thought game situation could be an issue. Some closers just don’t do well with leads of more than a run or two.

“I really believe that and I think I have seen that with him,” he said. “You get those one-run leads, I think he is a little more focused. Three -un lead, he’s probably a little more relaxed. It’s just the animal most closers are and it’s not just him. I’ve seen it with other guys too. Give up one or two and then they tighten down. Do you like it? No. It is what it is. It’s the animal they are.”

Related

MLB returns to Field of Dreams, now a permanent ballpark amid cornM’s prospect Lazaro Montes goes inside-the-park for career-high 33rd HRAnalyst: Seahawks WR Tory Horton looks ‘fast’ and ‘ready’Luis Castillo dazzles for White Sox in 2nd start since tradeMariners fall to Yankees 10-5 for 6th straight lossListen Live: Seahawks Football Returns to Lumen Field