I really feel like this game was lost when Manoah hit Rodriguez in the first inning. It was an 0-2 count. He had him on the ropes. Even if he hangs one and JRod hits it out, you shake it off and move on only down 1. But the fact he hit him, and the seed of doubt creeps in, you start to see the battle. That leads to some lack of control and poor pitches. Next thing you know the Jays are down 3. The difference between being down 3 vs 1 is huge. Especially against a pitcher like Castillo. When you're down by 3 you automatically start playing for the big inning. Instead of trying to be creative and create runs. The Jays had some base runners early on. Albeit with 2 outs most of the time. But there is still opportunity to try and do different things if you just want to scratch out a run or two. Amazing how fickle this game is. And what makes teams like Seattle so dangerous. Lacking in talent but making up for it in opportunity and playing with house money.
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