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Jays use big inning to down Mariners

Apr 14, 2011 - 12:28 AM Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Jose Bautista's three-run homer fueled a six- run eighth inning, as the Toronto Blue Jays topped the Seattle Mariners, 8-3, to salvage the finale of a three-game set.

Yunel Escobar finished 3-for-5 with an RBI double and a run scored, while Jose Molina went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI for Toronto, which snapped a four-game skid.

"It's always good to win any game, but knowing that we had four loses in a row, definitely a good comeback win," Bautista said. "With the day off tomorrow and going into the Boston series with them struggling a little bit, hopefully we can take advantage and keep our wins coming."

Jays starter Kyle Drabek went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking four. Marc Rzepczynski (1-0) got the win after allowing one run over two innings of relief.

Adam Kennedy finished 2-for-4 while Justin Smoak smacked a solo homer for the Mariners, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Starter Jason Vargas went 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven.

"Vargas did a tremendous job, really threw the ball well today against a tough lineup, but the eighth inning got away from us quick there," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.

Chris Ray (1-1) took the loss for allowing five runs on five hits in only two- thirds of an inning.

Both teams got on the board in the third. The Jays scored on an Escobar ground-rule double that plated Molina, who had roped a one-out double in the prior at-bat.

The Mariners used Milton Bradley's two-out double to even the game in the home half. Ichiro Suzuki reached on a fielder's choice, and after Kennedy lined out to third, Suzuki scored on Bradley's double to center.

Smoak led off the sixth inning with his first homer of the season, a shot over the left field wall, to give Seattle the 2-1 lead. Drabek was pulled with two outs and runners on first and third later in the frame, but Rzepczynski got Suzuki swinging to end the threat.

Ray took the hill for the Mariners to start the eighth and allowed consecutive singles to Escobar and Corey Patterson, who reached on a bunt. Bautista then ripped his third homer of the season, into the left field bullpen, to give the Jays a 4-2 lead.

Four batters later, Edwin Encarnacion's double plated Jayson Nix, and Molina capped the six-run frame with a double to center that scored Encarnacion and John McDonald.

The Mariners added their final run in the bottom of the eighth on a Brendan Ryan two-out single. After Seattle inserted Tom Wilhelmsen in the top of the ninth, J.P. Arencibia plated Travis Snider with a two-out single.

Game Notes

The Jays finished 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position while stranding nine...Seattle stranded 10 runners while going 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position...Nix finished 2-for-5 with a double.