Robinson Cano finally quieted the sea of blue-clad Toronto fans that had turned Safeco Field into a home environment for the Blue Jays.
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Toronto pitcher J.A. Happ became baseball’s second 20-game victor as the Blue Jays used an eight-run fourth inning to blow out the Seattle Mariners 10-2 on Tuesday night.Happ (20-4) pitched only five innings, allowing two runs off six hits, but didn’t need his A-game on a night when Toronto piled up 14 hits, including four home runs.The Blue Jays (83-68) moved into sole possession of the top spot in the American League wild-card standings, one game ahead of Baltimore.
“We just have to play good every day and even though we lost today, we played a good ballgame against one of the best pitchers of the last 10 years”. We are really, really good or we kind of have some ugly nights. Download the results of 2016 network security survey.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (10-15), who pitched five scoreless innings in his last start on Friday, came in on the 12th for his first relief appearance after 29 starts. Guillermo Heredia reached base on a wild throw at first base by Josh Donaldson. When the next man, Ben Gamel, laid down a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Ryan Goins tried to get the lead runner at third and Donaldson dropped the ball.
Nick Vincent (4-4) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
After almost wasting a vintage Felix Hernandez effort, after watching their rookie phenom Edwin Diaz serve up a game-tying homer in the ninth inning, after dodging Toronto threats in the 10th and 11th innings…
“The play was there for me to make”, Freeman said, “and I had just enough to make the play”. “I hope he’s going to pitch in a lot more big games”. It was one of the most electric pitchers in the game. His ball has some run. Sanchez got roughed up his last time out, but his blister problems appear to be somewhat resolved as he heads into Wednesday’s game.
Kevin Pillar worked a deep at-bat, but was robbed of a base hit on a diving catch from shortstop Mike Freeman to extend the game.
“That’s the game right there, possibly”, Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
Joe Biagini recorded the first two outs of the ninth and gave way to Roberto Osuna, who forced extras with a strikeout then struck out the side in the 10th.
This start was an important one for Hernandez – “It was a must-win”, he said – given both the standings and his performance in his previous big games.
Hernandez, meanwhile, buzzed through an offence that experienced a reawakening in Seattle, allowing just two hits and three walks over seven shutout innings.
The M’s scored the only run they thought they would need in the bottom of the third against starter Aaron Sanchez as Jesus Sucre set the table with a leadoff double.
Sanchez gave up four hits, striking out five and walking three in six innings. Sanchez is 2-1 with a 4.65 ERA and four no decisions in his last seven starts. He has allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of his last 15 starts and has limited opponents to one earned run or less in 13 starts this season.
The victory enabled the Mariners to avoid a three-game sweep by Toronto and pulled them to within two games of Baltimore in the race for the American League’s final wild-card berth with 10 games to play.
The game Wednesday was played in front of 39,595, the majority of them Blue Jays fans who drove from Vancouver and other cities near the U.S.
After a day off on Thursday, the Blue Jays open a series against the New York Yankees with Francisco Liriano (7-13, 5.08 ERA) scheduled to start.
Seattle is still alive this time around, but the Mariners’ chances are growing slimmer with each loss.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Evan Gattis homered twice, catcher Jason Castro threw out a runner to end the game and Houston beat Oakland to complete a series sweep. LHP James Paxton (4-7, 3.88 ERA) starts the Friday opener.
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“Disappointing, no doubt, but it is what it is, you got to try to regroup and we got to get back to playing good baseball”, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “To get back to the normal routine we have every five days is going to be good for all of us”.
