SEATTLE (AP) — Toronto center fielder George Springer departed with an ankle injury, part of a tough Saturday night for the Blue Jays during a 9-3 loss to Luis Torrens and the Seattle Mariners.
Torrens’ three-run homer off Trevor Richards in the seventh inning lifted the Mariners to their fourth straight win. Jarred Kelenic followed with his sixth homer, making it 6-3.
Springer hurt his left ankle while attempting to catch Ty France’s leadoff triple off the top of the wall in right-center in the seventh.
“That was a scary moment for the whole team,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “It's George Springer.”
Springer, who has been hampered by injuries in his first year with Toronto, is day to day with a mild sprain. Montoyo said Springer was upbeat about his chance for a quick return to the lineup.
“He came to my office saying, ‘I’ll be all right,’” Montoyo said. “That made me feel a lot better when he said that.”
Hyun Jin Ryu (11-6) walked Abraham Toro two batters later and was replaced with Richards, who gave up the back-to-back homers to left field. It was the fourth time the Mariners have hit consecutive homers this season.
“When he hit that (triple), it was like the momentum came to us and we knew we had a chance to win it,” Toro said.
Toro singled in Mitch Haniger over a drawn-in infield and Torrens added a two-run double in the eighth. Toro has reached safely in each of his 17 games since he was acquired in a trade with Houston on July 27.
Torrens said he came to the plate with the same plan in the seventh and eighth innings.
“My approach with runners on third is to just put the ball in the air," he said.
Keynan Middleton (1-2) struck out one in the seventh inning for the win.
The Blue Jays have lost three straight and four of six overall.
Ryu surrendered a two-run homer to France in the first inning, and then retired 14 straight. He yielded four runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Teoscar Hernández hit a solo home run in the second, an RBI single in the third and a double in the fifth to help Toronto build a 3-2 lead. Hernández has an AL-leading 32 RBIs since the All-Star break.
Seattle is 4-1 against Toronto. It has caught the Jays in the race for the second AL wild card.
“From the sixth or seventh inning on, it's like we're a different ballclub,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
STREAK OVER
The Mariners’ nail-biting streak of 10 straight games decided by two or fewer runs came to an end. It was one shy of the team record, set in September 2005. Seattle was 5-5 over the stretch.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: Springer sprained his left ankle after bouncing off the wall. The center fielder landed hard and immediately grabbed his ankle and fell to the ground. He limped off the field to a round of applause after being relentlessly booed in the series. ... RHP Nate Pearson (right adductor strain) made a rehab start on Friday, striking out one in an inning for Triple-A Buffalo.
Mariners: LHP Justus Sheffield (left forearm strain) will make a rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday. Servais said he is scheduled to go three innings if there are no issues. ... Servais said he hopes RHP Justin Dunn (right shoulder inflammation) would soon have his own rehab start. He has been out since June 18.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays left-hander Steven Matz (9-7, 4.28 ERA) makes his second career start against the Mariners on Sunday. Rookie right-hander Logan Gilbert (5-3, 4.05 ERA) pitches for Seattle.
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