TORONTO -- When Seattle's Eugenio Suárez came back down to earth after snagging Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s line drive, all the Blue Jays slugger could do was shrug.

Arms stretched out to ask, "Really?" Guerrero once again captured the spirit of a frustrated lineup. Besides, the only run scored in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Mariners at Rogers Centre didn’t even involve contact as Guerrero took a bases-loaded walk.

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The Blue Jays took the series from the Mariners, but this club is still looking for a grand shift in the narrative. The struggles from earlier in May seem to have stepped back into the shadows, but the Blue Jays are playing the same brand of baseball they did to start the season.

Pitching and defence are doing all of the work while the bats, once projected to be among baseball’s best, stay quiet.

Looking back at the series that was, here’s what we’ve learned through 38 games.

The rotation gets an A+

Toronto’s rotation looked like one of baseball’s best entering the season, but it’s taken some time for the group to hit its collective stride. The group never truly struggled, but with Hyun Jin Ryu on the IL and José Berríos’ uncharacteristic start, some patience was required.

It’s paying off.

With this most recent trip through the rotation, the Blue Jays’ have allowed four earned runs over 28 2/3 innings, good for a 1.27 ERA. Like we’ve said about so many individual performances this season, that collective effort will set the Blue Jays up for plenty of wins once the lineup finally clicks.

You’re starting to see that the beauty of this rotation lies in its depth, too. While Kevin Gausman has pitched like an ace and Alek Manoah is off to a brilliant start, the “ace” tag isn’t all that necessary with this group. There’s a three-headed monster at the top, and Yusei Kikuchi is suddenly showing flashes of the potential the Blue Jays have hoped to unlock. If Ryu can return to being an effective starter like he’s done for nearly all of his career, that’s a bonus.

“We have a lot of different looks coming at a team,” Gausman said after throwing five innings of two-run ball. “If we’re playing a four-game series, they’re getting a different look every single day. From the left side, Kikuchi throws 97 with a split, then you have Ryu from the left side who’s a completely different pitcher. Then there’s Berríos and, obviously, Manoah. All of those guys are completely different.”

Offence? Anyone?

The Blue Jays are tied for 23rd in MLB with 140 runs scored. It’s difficult to believe.

This is a lineup topped with George Springer, Bo Bichette, Guerrero and Teoscar Hernández. Even with Marcus Semien essentially swapped out for Matt Chapman, this lineup led baseball with a .798 OPS, so there’s no way to paint a rosier picture. This group is underperforming.

“It all gets magnified,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “When we swing the bats and everyone’s fine, you can come back in a 4-1 or 5-1 game to win. It seems like now, when someone scores five runs, it feels like 10. That happens when your offence is struggling.”

Injuries are catching up…

It was bound to happen. It happens to every team, every year, and it’s the Blue Jays’ turn now. Thankfully, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s early exit Wednesday with left hamstring tightness sounds precautionary, as he deals with that somewhat regularly, but this comes on the heels of a Springer ankle scare in Tampa. This lineup doesn’t need another blow.

The bullpen is feeling it the most, though. Closer Jordan Romano, who owns a 3.07 ERA with 12 saves, is dealing with a gastrointestinal infection. He’s still with the club and the Blue Jays don’t expect he’ll need an IL stint, but he’s still been unavailable through the Mariners series.

Tim Mayza is down with left forearm inflammation, too, which kills some momentum after the left-hander opened '22 with a 2.08 ERA over 15 appearances. Mayza has earned the full trust of Montoyo and is often deployed in the setup role, so the group of Adam Cimber, Yimi García, David Phelps, Ryan Borucki and Trevor Richards will be asked to step up.

Regardless of how this works out in the short-term, expect to hear more about the Blue Jays’ bullpen as we inch closer to the Trade Deadline on Aug. 2. It’s an area where the Blue Jays are looking for more swing-and-miss, presenting a big opportunity to load up for a potential postseason run.