JAYS’ BLUES : Toronto Hoping Return to SkyDome Will Spark Turnaround Against A’s

The SkyDome, open or closed, has never looked so good to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Trailing 0-2 to the Oakland Athletics in the best-of-7 American League playoffs, the Blue Jays must win two out of three when the playoffs resume in Toronto Friday to avoid being eliminated.

The Blue Jays moved into the SkyDome on June 5 and lost to Milwaukee.

They didn’t like it much at first. George Bell said the ball didn’t carry. Lloyd Moseby said it was hard to judge a fly ball. The pitchers didn’t like the mound.

All that has changed.

The Blue Jays finished the season 34-20 in the SkyDome, including victories in 20 of their last 26 games at home.

Toronto Hopes for Comeback

Now Toronto hopes to turn the championship series around starting Friday night.

“The home crowd should help a lot,” reliever Tom Henke said. “If we get some key hits in the right situations, we’ll be right back in it.”

In the first two games, the Blue Jays lost because they didn’t get the key hits. They really didn’t get many hits of any kind. In the two losses at Oakland, the Blue Jays had 10, one for extra bases.

Toronto suffered a team-wide letdown at Oakland. Their hitters are being outhit .317 to .164. The starters and bullpen have both faltered, allowing 13 runs for a 6.19 ERA to Oakland’s 2.50. The defense allowed an unearned run in each game, and catcher Ernie Whitt is 0-for-10 in trying to throw out baserunners.

Several Blue Jays are in slumps. Fred McGriff, who led Toronto with 36 homers, hasn’t hit one since Sept. 4. His last extra-base hit was on Sept 13.

Lee Mazzilli, the designated hitter in the first two games, has one hit in his last 22 at-bats.

“They are playing more aggressively than we are right now,” Toronto outfielder Mookie Wilson said. “We just have to get it together and try to bounce back now that we are going home.”

Unable to Stop Henderson

The Blue Jays have been unable to stop Rickey Henderson from running wild on the base paths. Henderson has been on base seven times in nine plate appearances. He has six steals in the series, breaking the playoff record of five previously held by Davey Lopes (1981) and Steve Sax (1988), both with Los Angeles.

But the team that won a hard-earned AL East title at home just five days ago is hardly glum about its position.

“We’re not playing bad,” third baseman Kelly Gruber said. “We could play better, sure. But I don’t believe I’ve seen a mistake over there (by the A’s) yet.

“Sooner or later you’re going to be flat, something’s going to happen. Eventually we’ll catch some breaks.”

Jimmy Key (13-14) will start Game 3 for Toronto against Storm Davis (19-7).