Who the Blue Jays Will Start in Pivotal Series Against Mariners

The Toronto Blue Jays suffered an unacceptable series loss to the Kansas City Royals, culminating in a 13-2 loss on Thursday. The Blue Jays fan base voiced their displeasure, showering the team with boos as the hits kept on coming.

Toronto (65-70) has to turn things around quickly. This season has fallen short of expectations, but a postseason run is still possible. They're 3.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final wild-card spot, but Cleveland has caught fire and are winners of seven straight.

The Blue Jays will host the Seattle Mariners for a massive three-game series. Here is who John Schneider will turn to this weekend.

Game 1: Dylan Cease

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease throws a pitch. Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Toronto desperately needs a tone-setter, and Dylan Cease is the guy to do it. The righty is coming off another solid start against the New York Yankees. He allowed one earned run over 6.2 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.37.

However, Cease's walk issues have resurfaced lately. He's surrendered 12 free passes over his last three games, but has struck out 25 batters in the process. Cease will make his second start against the Mariners this season.

He threw seven shutout innings and was dominant from start to finish. Seattle is a heavy-strikeout team, so all signs are pointing to another great start from Cease.

Game 2: Jose Soriano

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Soriano pitches. Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jose Soriano is quite familiar with Seattle's lineup. He has a 3.46 ERA over 11 appearances against the Mariners. In June, he allowed six hits, three earned runs, one walk, and finished with nine strikeouts over five innings.

Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena have been successful against Soriano. Rodriguez has a .556 batting average with a 1.544 OPS in 18 career at-bats. Arozarena is hitting .385 over 13 at-bats against Soriano.

If Soriano can find a groove early, that should bode well for him. He must get ahead and utilize the knuckle curve as his putaway pitch.

Game 3: Max Scherzer

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer delivers a pitch. Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Max Scherzer has been hit-or-miss this season, and the Blue Jays desperately need the good version. They got that in his previous start, when he allowed two earned runs over five innings. The bad version of Scherzer has seen him surrender five or more runs in four starts.

It's hard to know what to expect from the 42-year-old, but his competitive spirit is never called into question. If Scherzer can limit the free passes, there is a path to success in Sunday's series finale.

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