Recap: Toronto vs. Seattle
Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Logan Morrison cracked two homers and drove in four runs, helping the Seattle Mariners snap a five-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.
Mike Zunino also homered for the Mariners, who salvaged a win in the four-game series as they try desperately to stay alive in the hunt for an AL wild-card berth.
The Mariners entered play three games behind Kansas City and Oakland in the wild-card race and have a three-game series ahead against the AL-West champion Angels in Seattle this weekend. Seattle went 4-7 on an 11-game road trip that started in Anaheim.
Toronto's Kevin Pillar hit a leadoff homer off Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning, but the Mariners closer shut the door for his MLB-leading 47th save.
The Blue Jays won the first three games of the series by a combined score of 25-6
Morrison teed off on an Aaron Loup (4-4) fastball leading off the sixth inning for his second homer of the game and 11th of the season, snapping a 4-4 tie. Zunino homered with one out off Dustin McGowan, jumping on a 3-0 fastball to give Seattle a 6-4 lead.
Kendrys Morales doubled in the seventh, and pinch-runner James Jones scored on Kyle Seager's RBI single to make it 7-4.
Both teams started relievers. As a result, they combined to use 15 pitchers.
Former closer Tom Wilhelmsen made his second spot start of the season for the Mariners and didn't last two innings. He came out after giving up a one-out RBI single to Anthony Gose, and another run in the inning was also charged to him as the Blue Jays built an early 2-0 lead.
Daniel Norris, a September call-up who worked out of the bullpen in his first four appearances for Toronto, made his first MLB start and was lifted during a four-run fourth, charged with two of the runs.
Kyle Seager had an RBI single off Todd Redmond and Morrison followed with a three-run blast to right-center, giving the Mariners a 4-2 edge.
Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind each knocked in a run in the fifth to tie the score for Toronto, Encarnacion on a sacrifice fly and Lind on a single. The hits came off Yoervis Medina (5-3).