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Rios powers Jays past Mariners

Jul 26, 2008 - 10:24 PM TORONTO (Ticker) -- For one day, Alex Rios turned the power back on.

Rios homered twice and David Purcey picked up his first career win Saturday, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-3 victory over Seattle Mariners.

Experiencing a power outage this season, Rios enjoyed his first multi-homer game of the year with a pair of solo shots. He has just eight homers this season after hitting a career-high 24 in 2007.

"It's good to have a good day. It will give you a little more confidence," said Rios, who added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to give the Blue Jays the final margin.

Making his third career start, Purcey (1-1) worked six effective innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. The 26-year-old lefthander walked one and struck out four.

Toronto scored in each of its first six innings en route to winning its fifth straight game.

Jose Lopez belted a two-run homer for the Mariners, whose losing streak reached seven games.

"The last two years I struggled a little bit in the second half," said Lopez, who is in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak. "This year, I don't think about it."

Rios opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, depositing a 2-0 pitch from R.A. Dickey (2-6) over the left field wall.

After Lopez doubled in a run in the top of the second, the Blue Jays went ahead for good in the bottom of the frame on Scott Rolen's sacrifice fly.

Joe Inglett, who had three hits, led off the third with a double and later scored on a wild pitch to extend Toronto's lead to 3-1. Inglett produced a run in the fourth with an RBI double, two batters after Brad Wilkerson had lofted a sacrifice fly.

"Right now with the mind-set we have we expect to win every time," Inglett said. "Like I said yesterday, just keep rolling and keep the momentum going."

Rios added to Dickey's miserable afternoon with his second homer to lead off the fifth.

After Lopez connected for his seventh homer with one out in the sixth, Inglett delivered a run-scoring single and Rios lofted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame.

Dickey was ripped for eight runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 forgettable innings. The knuckleballer also walked four and threw just 63 of 102 pitches for strikes before mercifully departing.

"I never had a clean inning, couldn't get into a real rhythm out there," Dickey said.