SEATTLE — Kyle Seager and Kendrys Morales hit solo home runs, Dustin Ackley added a key two-out two-run single, and the Seattle Mariners moved into a tie for the second wild card spot in the American League with a 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Seattle won for the seventh time in eight games to catch Detroit in the wild card race. Seattle got another solid performance from veteran Chris Young, who earned his 11th victory, and the Mariners also continued their recent offensive punch.
Seager’s 18th homer gave Seattle a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Ackley followed an inning later, going to the opposite field to drive in a pair. Morales capped the night with his first homer since being acquired by the Mariners in a trade with Minnesota in late July.
It was Morales’ first homer since June 24, snapping a career-high, 41-game drought without a long ball.
Young (11-6) pitched six strong innings, allowing just two hits. He yielded a first-inning run after walking Jose Reyes on four pitches and giving up Melky Cabrera’s RBI double to start the game. Young retired 14 straight after Cabrera’s double, the streak snapped when Juan Francisco doubled in the fifth.
Young struck out three and walked two, and won his third straight decision.
Charlie Furbush got four outs with ease but Brandon Maurer gave up three hits in the eighth, capped by Jose Bautista’s RBI double. Toronto added another run on Nolan Reimold’s sacrifice fly, but Francisco Rodney pitched the ninth for his 33rd save.
Logan Morrison extended his hitting streak to 13 games, with a single in the third, and scored on Austin Jackson’s hit-and-run single that Colby Rasmus misplayed in centre field. Morrison doubled in the fifth, but was caught in a rundown between third and home on Jackson’s grounder. Morrison stayed in the rundown long enough for Chris Taylor and Jackson to get into scoring position, and Ackley plated both with a single to left field.
Toronto starter J.A. Happ (8-7) gave up seven hits and struck out only one in six innings after recording 12 strikeouts in his last start.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: Adam Lind (foot) was activated off the 15-day disabled list and batted fourth. Lind went hitless in three at bats.
Mariners: LHP Roenis Elias was optioned to the minors recently in an effort to control his innings. Elias will throw a few innings later this week at Triple-A Tacoma and likely rejoin the Seattle rotation next week in Philadelphia.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (9-11) got a no decision in his last start against Detroit despite allowing just two earned runs. Dickey’s last win came on July 28 against Boston.
Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (10-6) is looking to continue a strong stretch. Over his last eight starts, Iwakuma is 5-2 with a 2.04 ERA and he has pitched at least seven innings in his past seven starts.