The Lead

Blue Jays Bats Erupt In Series-Opening Rout

The Blue Jays beat the Mariners 8-1 Friday at Rogers Centre, piling up 11 hits in front of 41,910 fans. It was the kind of offensive night this lineup hasn't produced much of lately.

One outburst doesn't rewrite a season, but it does reset the conversation heading into Game 2 this afternoon. The number to watch is whether that same lineup can string together a second straight multi-hit game, because a single explosion against a tired pitching staff is easy to shrug off, and back-to-back ones are not.

The Rest of the Slate

PGA Tour

Ryan Gerard shot a 5-under 65 to share the 36-hole lead with Viktor Hovland at the Tour Championship, while Scottie Scheffler sits two back after a 67. A crowded leaderboard with the world's top-ranked player within range makes the moving day at East Lake worth watching, since Scheffler has made a habit of closing gaps like this one.

US Open Qualifying

Bianca Andreescu lost her final qualifying match 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Tamara Zidansek, and Liam Draxl fell in a deciding tiebreak to Tristan Schoolkate. No Canadian will play in the singles draw at Flushing Meadows this year, a gap that will get scrutiny well beyond this tournament.

Toronto Tempo

The Tempo were beaten 93-73 by the defending champion Aces in Las Vegas Friday night. They close the back-to-back Saturday against the same opponent, a quick chance to show the loss was about opponent quality rather than a deeper issue.

The Number

Scottie Scheffler's stroke deficit through 36 holes at the Tour Championship Two shots is nothing for the best player in the world with 36 holes left at East Lake, but it puts him in position rather than chasing from the back. Watch how Scheffler plays the par 5s Saturday, because closing a two-shot gap starts with scoring holes, not defense.

What's On Tonight

            3:07 PM ET · Blue Jays vs. Mariners · MLB.TV
7:00 PM ET · Argonauts at Roughriders · TSN1/3
          

Top Dog — Betting Angle

The pick: Blue Jays -1.5 on the run line tonight. An offense that just put up 8 runs and 11 hits against this same Mariners staff has more margin than the moneyline price suggests.

“An 8-1 final tells you the scoreboard operator had a busy night”