Both Cal Raleigh and Rowdy Tellez hit two-run home runs and the visiting Seattle Mariners defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Sunday afternoon.
Dylan Moore added a solo shot for Seattle in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Tellez, a former Blue Jay, had three home runs in the series.
Tyler Heineman had three hits for Toronto on Sunday.
Moore greeted left-hander Easton Lucas (2-2) with his fifth homer of the season to open the first, a shot to left on a 1-1 sweeper. Julio Rodriguez doubled off the left-field wall and Raleigh lofted a 2-1 slider to left for his ninth homer of the season.
Raleigh has 11 career homers against Toronto, 10 in the regular season. He struck out in each of his next four at-bats on Sunday. Seattle struck out 18 times as everyone in the lineup whiffed at least once.
Seattle doubled its lead to 6-0 in the second. Ben Williamson walked and Leo Rivas singled. The runners advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Randy Arozarena’s two-out liner over the shortstop. Mitch Garver grounded an RBI single up the middle.
That’s when the Blue Jays took out Lucas — who finished with seven hits, six runs, five strikeouts and two walks in 1 2/3 innings — and brought in Paxton Schultz for his major-league debut. Promoted from Triple-A Buffalo earlier in the day, the 27-year-old right-hander fired 4 1/3 scoreless innings and racked up eight strikeouts to match the team record for an MLB debut.
Seattle starter Luis Castillo (2-2) was shaky early and allowed two second-inning runs. Addison Barger led off with a double down the right-field line and Will Wagner singled. Heineman’s bouncer became an RBI infield single when Castillo deflected it. Bo Bichette stroked an RBI single. The inning ended on Arozarena’s sliding catch near the left-field line with the bases loaded.
Toronto cut its deficit to 6-3 in the third when George Springer led off with a double off the left-field wall and scored on Nathan Lukes’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center.
Castillo allowed three runs, 10 hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five innings.
Garver singled and Tellez homered to right as a pinch hitter in the seventh against Dillon Tate, also promoted from Buffalo on Sunday.
Toronto put right-hander Nick Sandlin (right lat strain) on the injured list and designated right-hander Jacob Barnes for assignment.
–Field Level Media
