SEATTLE — Marco Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.
Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth inning, but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases.
The Blue Jays pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.
Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent that made its way down to Seattle from British Columbia. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.
Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-pitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.
Closer Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osuna’s 34th save.
Estrada has never completed a no-hitter, but he’s been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.
Estrada’s outing was a significant turnaround from his recent form. In his previous six starts, Estrada was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.
Encarnacion’s two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Kevin Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.
Donaldson tossed
Toronto’s Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroy’s face and was quickly tossed.
Up next
Blue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Boston’s Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.
Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 61/3 innings in his last start against the Angels.
