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McGowan, Blue Jays dispatch Mariners

Jun 11, 2008 - 4:14 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Dustin McGowan pitched a complete game and Brad Wilkerson got some revenge against his old team with a solo homer as the Toronto Blue Jays posted a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.

Vernon Wells finished with two hits - including a solo blast - to improve to 7-for-16 since coming off the disabled list Saturday for the Blue Jays, who notched just their third victory in nine tries this month.

McGowan (5-4) allowed just one run and five hits while walking two and striking out seven. The righthander needed 125 pitches but retired the last 10 batters he faced en route to his first complete game of the season and third career.

"He was going to go back out there, he was strong," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "We weren't going to give him a chance to lose it, but it didn't come to that."

"I can't explain it. I mean, I like pitching here, it's just a great place to pitch for me," said McGowan, who improved to 4-1 this season at Rogers Centre.

McGowan recovered from a disastrous outing last Thursday in which he allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees.

"With the pitches coming in the way they did today, nobody can hit," said Seattle second baseman Jose Lopez, who finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. "(McGowan) mastered it today."

Wilkerson was released by the Mariners on April 30 after batting .232 with no homers and five RBI in 19 games. The Blue Jays signed him on May 9 and, while his average is still down at .243, he has three homers and 14 RBI in 29 contests for his new club.

After Jeremy Reed pulled Seattle even with the lone blemish to McGowan's line, a solo homer in the fifth, Wilkerson came right back and drove a 3-2 pitch from Carlos Silva over the center field wall to snap the 1-1 tie in the bottom of the frame.

Silva (3-7) lasted seven innings, allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out three without a walk. The burly righthander has not picked up a win since April 17 and entered Tuesday's contest having allowed 24 runs in 18 2/3 innings over his previous four starts.

"I don't even know how I pitched, the only thing I've got in my mind is that we're losing," Silva said. "It's hard."

The Mariners (23-42), who own the worst record in baseball, have dropped seven of their last nine games.