Mariners stomp Blue Jays for 2-0 ALCS lead

The Seattle Mariners are going home with a commanding advantage in the American League Championship Series.

The pitching-centric team is crushing the Toronto Blue Jays in all facets of the game, slugging three home runs in Game 2 to cruise to a 10-3 victory Monday at Rogers Centre.

And now, history is overwhelmingly on their side.

They will take a 2-0 lead home to T-Mobile Park, knowing that in LCS history, a team that won the first two games on the road has advanced 86.8% of the time.

They can thank Jorge Polanco and a possibly peerless bullpen for the happy flight home to the Pacific Northwest.

Polanco broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run homer off reliever Louis Varland in the top of the sixth inning. Polanco also provided the go-ahead and insurance RBIs in Seattle’s 3-1 victory in Game 1.

And for the second consecutive game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s mid-game maneuvers failed to pan out.

One night after removing Kevin Gausman after just 76 pitches, only for a reliever to let in the go-ahead run, he was perhaps too hesitant to remove rookie Trey Yesavage, who allowed an infield single and then intentionally walked Cal Raleigh before Varland gave up the decisive blast to Polanco.

Re-signed after the Mariners declined his option a year ago, Polanco is 4 for 9 with five RBIs in this series and has eight hits and 11 RBIs this postseason, six of the game-winning or go-ahead variety.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s bullpen combined for six innings of scoreless, one-hit relief, giving it nine scoreless innings this series. Eduard Bazardo and Carlos Vargas were particularly solid, contributing two innings and giving up just a hit and a walk, respectively.

All have combined to keep Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero hitless in seven at-bats this series.