Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - Kendrys Morales and Kyle Seager homered to back six solid innings from Chris Young, and the Seattle Mariners topped the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-3, at Safeco Field.
Dustin Ackley had a two-run single for the Mariners, who are 7-1 on this homestand. That includes an 11-1 rout in the opener of this three-game set Monday when Felix Hernandez held down the Blue Jays.
A night later it was Young's (11-6) turn. The 6-foot-10 right-hander allowed just two hits and a first-inning run. He's 3-0 over his last five starts.
J.A. Happ (8-7) surrendered seven hits and five runs -- four earned -- over six innings, as the Mariners pulled into a tie with Detroit for the second wild card spot.
Melky Cabrera had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who fell to 3-8 this month.
In another matchup of teams battling for position in the wild card standings, the Mariners gained the upperhand again by surging in the middle innings.
The Blue Jays struck in the opening frame when Cabrera doubled in Jose Reyes, but after that Young retired 14 straight batters.
The Mariners scored all their runs between the third and sixth innings. In the third, with Logan Morrison on first base, Austin Jackson sent a line drive to center field. The ball short-hopped off the forearm of Colby Rasmus, and Morrison scored on the error. Seager homered to right in the fourth for a 2-1 contest and Ackley's hit to left plated two more in the fifth. Morales homered to left leading off the following inning.
Jose Bautista's double plated Reyes in the eighth, and pinch-hitter Nolan Reimold added a sacrifice fly. With a runner on third, Joe Beimel retired Dioner Navarro on a pop-up to end the inning.
The Mariners added a run in the bottom of the eighth. Reliever Aaron Loup failed to catch Danny Valencia's throw to first, and that allowed pinch-runner James Jones to score.
Fernando Rodney pitched the final inning for his 34th save. Ackley made a twisting, leaping catch in left field on a ball hit by Munenori Kawasaki to end the game.
Game Notes
Bautista has reached base safely in 21 straight games. He's reached safely in 28 in a row versus Seattle ... Morrison has a 13-game hitting streak, tying a career-best ... Young is one victory shy of a career-high he set in 2005 with Texas ... It marked the 400th win in the career of manager Lloyd McClendon ... The three-game series wraps up Wednesday night with R.A. Dickey (9-11) pitching for Toronto and Hisashi Iwakuma (10-6) for the Mariners ... The Blue Jays activated Adam Lind off the 15-day disabled list and he went 0-for-3.
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