Mariners 2 - 7 Blue Jays
Final
  for this game

Alvarez strong on mound, Blue Jays down M's

Apr 30, 2012 - 12:22 AM

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Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Henderson Alvarez tossed six-plus solid innings and the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Seattle Mariners, 7-2, in the finale of a three-game set at Rogers Centre.

Alvarez (1-2) allowed just one run on six hits and three walks while striking out one. Evan Crawford, Casey Janssen and Francisco Cordero finished out the game for the Blue Jays, who have won two straight after dropping four in a row.

Jeff Mathis cracked a two-run homer, Edwin Encarnacion added a solo shot and Brett Lawrie contributed a two-run double. Kelly Johnson also added a run batted in for the Jays.

"He did well," Mathis said of Alvarez's effort. "He threw his sinker and kept it down in the zone and got a lot of ground ball outs and early outs."

Chone Figgins and Miguel Olivo homered for the Mariners, who lost the final two games of this series after winning four consecutive games.

Jason Vargas (3-2) gave up two runs on four hits and three walks while fanning four over six innings.

With the game tied, the Blue Jays took the lead for good in the sixth after Encarnacion clubbed a changeup from Vargas just over the wall in left field to make it 2-1.

Toronto broke the game open with five runs in the eighth. Jose Bautista started the rally with a single up the middle, and after Adam Lind flied out, Encarnacion was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up a base on a double steal and pinch-hitter Rajai Davis, facing reliever Charlie Furbush, was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Lawrie then brought home Bautista and Encarnacion with a double to left and Davis was able to score on a throwing error by Olivo to make it 5-1. Mathis then crushed his home run into the third deck in left field to make it a 7-1 contest two batters later.

Olivo hammered a hanging curveball from Cordero leading off the ninth.

Seattle opened the scoring in its first at-bat when Figgins led off the game by taking a changeup from Alvarez over the wall in right field.

The Blue Jays tied it in the fifth when Colby Rasmus slapped a single up the middle to start the inning, moved to second on a groundout by Yunel Escobar and came around to score on a single to right by Johnson.

"We didn't play very well all night," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "We got opportunities to get runners in, couldn't do it. We weren't giving away at-bats, but situationally, we weren't very good."

Game Notes

It was Figgins' ninth career leadoff home run and second this season...Alvarez has given up four runs in the first inning this season...The Mariners announced on Sunday that reliever George Sherrill will undergo Tommy John surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow...Seattle went 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine men.






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