Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners Match Player Stats On Jun 10, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 11, 2017

SEATTLE -- Ezequiel Carrera led off the top of the eighth inning with a home run and Justin Smoak did the same in the ninth as Toronto defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Saturday night before a capacity, pro-Blue Jays crowd of 45,480 at Safeco Field.

All of Toronto's runs scored on homers, as Kendrys Morales hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning.

Carrera's homer off Seattle reliever Tony Zych (2-2) snapped a 2-2 tie and gave Toronto starter Marcus Stroman (7-2) six wins in his past six decisions. Stroman pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.

Roberto Osuna pitched the ninth for his 15th save of the season, striking out pinch hitter Mike Zunino to end it as Toronto fans stood and chanted, "Let's go, Blue Jays!"

Trailing 3-2, the Mariners threatened in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Joe Smith. Guillermo Heredia and Robinson Cano led off with singles to put runners at first and second. Nelson Cruz hit a hard one-hopper to the left side of the infield that third baseman Josh Donaldson made a diving stop on and appeared to turn a double play. A video review showed Cruz, who has been nursing a right calf injury, beat the throw to first.

But Smith struck out Kyle Seager and got Taylor Motter to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Smoak gave the Blue Jays some insurance with his homer off Steve Cishek in the ninth. It was Smoak's 18th home run of the season.

The Mariners tied the score in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Dyson scored from first on a stolen base.

Dyson led off with a line-drive single to center off Stroman. With Carlos Ruiz at the plate, Dyson took off for second. Catcher Russell Martin's throw was low and skipped into center field, allowing Dyson to take third. When center fielder Kevin Pillar overran the ball, Dyson came home to make it 2-2.

The Blue Jays didn't get a hit off Mariners starter Ariel Miranda until Morales' two-run homer in the fourth inning that cleared the out-of-town scoreboard in left-center field. It was the switch hitter's 12th home run of the season, but just his third batting right-handed.

Miranda retired the first seven Blue Jays in order before running into control problems. He walked two batters with one out in the third, then walked Jose Bautista to lead off the fourth before Morales' homer.

Miranda issued another walk, to Donaldson leading off the sixth, but got Bautista to ground into a double play.

The Blue Jays' second hit was an opposite-field single by Smoak leading off the seventh inning, beating the Mariners' defensive shift. An out later, Miranda issued his fifth walk, to Martin, ending the left-hander's night. Zych came on and got a double play on his first pitch to end the threat.

Seattle opened the scoring in the second inning. Cruz led off by grounding a single up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Seager's single to right field.

Seager, a former Gold Glove Award winner at third base, also made spectacular defensive plays to end the second and third innings.

In the second, he made a diving stop of Troy Tulowitzki's hard grounder down the third-base line and made a two-hop throw to first to get Tulowitzki by a step.

With two runners on base in the third, Seager lunged to his left to snare a liner by Donaldson.

NOTES: The Mariners (31-32) failed for the fourth time to move above .500 this season. ... Seattle 1B Danny Valencia, one of the hottest hitters in the American League since the start of May (.325 average, four homers, 25 RBIs), wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday. Manager Scott Servais said Valencia, who has been battling a wrist injury, needed some rest. Valencia came on as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and flied out to center field. ... The Blue Jays improved to 4-10 against left-handed starters this season. ... Despite the loss, the Mariners are 40-25 against the Blue Jays at Safeco Field since it opened in 1999, their best home winning percentage against any American League opponent. The Blue Jays, who were expansion brethren of the M's in 1977, held a 70-56 edge across the street at the Kingdome, the Mariners' former home. ...Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (0-4, 5.33 ERA) is scheduled to face Mariners LHP James Paxton (5-0, 1.69) in the series finale Sunday.