Recap: Toronto vs. Seattle

By Sports Network | The Sports Network • Published July 26, 2008

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Alex Rios collected his second career multi- home run game to lead the Toronto Blue Jays over the Seattle Mariners, 8-3, in the second contest of a three-game set at Rogers Centre.

Joe Inglett posted three hits, two RBI ands two runs scored for the Blue Jays, who won their fifth consecutive game.

David Purcey (1-1) earned his first major league victory after allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings of work. The 26-year-old, who took the hill for the first time since May 16 versus Philadelphia, also struck out four, while only walking one.

Jose Lopez homered and knocked in all three runs for the Mariners, who tied a season-worst with their seventh straight defeat

R.A. Dickey (2-6) suffered the defeat after being tagged with eight runs on 10 hits and four walks in only 5 1/3 innings.

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

The Blue Jays, who never trailed, opened up the scoring right away in the first inning with a solo home run by Rios. His seventh of the season came with two outs on a 2-2 pitch.

"It is good to have a good day," said Rios. "It will give you a little more confidence."

Each team got a run in the second as Toronto maintained its one-run edge, at 2-1. In the top of the frame, back-to-back doubles by Adrian Beltre and Lopez accounted for the Seattle run. Then in the home half, Matt Stairs smacked a lead-off triple and came around one batter later via a Scott Rolen sacrifice fly.

In the third, Toronto pushed its advantage to 3-1 thanks to a Dickey wild pitch. Inglett crossed the plate on the mishap after he led off with a double and raced to third on a sacrifice by David Eckstein.

The Blue Jays went up 5-1 with two runs in the fourth. They loaded the bases with no outs as Stairs singled followed by a pair of walks to Rolen and Adam Lind. Stairs scored on a sac fly by Brad Wilkerson and Rolen strolled in on a two-out double to center by Inglett.

It was a 6-1 contest in the fifth as Rios blasted his second solo homer of the game.

Each club capped off their scoring with two runs each in the sixth. Lopez belted a two-run homer to left that also plated Beltre, who reached on a one- out single for Seattle.

In the bottom half, Toronto scored for the sixth straight inning to take a commanding 8-3 lead. Gregg Zaun reached with a one-out double and slid in safely courtesy of an Inglett base hit up the middle. Inglett eventually scored on a Rios sacrifice after he raced to third on a single by Eckstein.

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-5 at the plate and is just four hits shy of 3,000 for his professional career. Suzuki played his first seven years in Japan's Pacific League, where he racked up 1,278 of his 2,996 hits in professional baseball.

Game Notes