Mariners 8, Blue Jays 1
TORONTO -- Michael Saunders took Toronto starter R.A. Dickey deep twice and Dustin Ackley hit his first career gland slam, helping Seattle to an 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.
Ackley, who came in batting .395 in his last 12 games, hit Dickey's 3-and-2 pitch deep to right field with two out in the fourth for his first home run of the season, giving Seattle a 5-0 lead.
It was the second grand slam allowed by Dickey in his career.
Dickey surrendered a one-out single to Kendrys Morales to get the Mariners started. With two out, Dickey loaded the bases with back-to-back walks to Raul Ibanez and Kelly Stoppach.
Saunders' second home run of the game made it 6-0 in the fifth.
Stoppach made the lead 7-0 in the sixth with a RBI double to center field, scoring Ibanez from third.
Dickey (2-5), who was pitching on an extra day of rest because of mild inflammation in his back and neck, went six innings, allowing seven earned runs on six hits while striking out five to take his third straight loss. He threw 100 pitches, 56 for strikes.
Toronto (10-21) snapped a 23-inning scoreless streak in the seventh when Rajai Davis scored on Munenori Kawasaki's sacrifice fly.
Seattle (15-17) made it 8-1 on a RBI double in the ninth by Saunders.
Saunders led the game off taking Dickey's first pitch deep to right field for his third home run of the season. It was Saunders' second career lead off home run and second of the season, as he led off with a home run on April 29 against Baltimore.
It was the fifth leadoff home run for the Mariners this season.
Saunders, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, finished 3-for-5 with three runs batted in.
Hisashi Iwakuma (3-1) came into the game 0-1 in his last three starts, despite allowing only two earned runs and striking out 21 in 17 innings.
The Japanese right-hander went seven innings, allowing an earned run on five hits while striking out five. Iwakuma threw 108 pitches, 74 for strikes.
Toronto threatened in the first after a lead off walk to Brett Lawrie and Melky Cabrera's single to right. Two batters later, Edwin Encarnacion hit a bloop single in shallow center, which Ackley lost in the sun, to load the bases.
But Iwakuma struck out Colby Rasmus and Rajai Davis to end the threat.
With runners in scoring position again in the third inning, Rasmus flied out to Endy Chavez in left field to end the threat.
Responding to a CBSSports.com report that there is selfishness in the Blue Jays clubhouse, manager John Gibbons said: "I think I've got a pretty good pulse of that room in there, but lets face it, in baseball, that's not unusual. It is a selfish business and you play as a team, that's no different anywhere else.
"But I don't think that's an issue. I don't see a problem out there."
NOTES: Mariners OF Michael Morse was the only Mariner with any experience against R.A. Dickey entering Saturday, going 7-for-27 against the knuckleballer. ... Justin Smoak missed his second game of the season Saturday. ... Toronto has been outscored, 17-2, since its last victory on April 30. ... Blue Jays OF Melky Cabrera was the team's designated hitter Saturday. Manager John Gibbons said Cabrera is battling soreness in his legs. ... Entering Saturday, the Blue Jays had a .353 winning percentage at home. Only the Houston Astros are worse at home. ... Friday night's shutout of the Blue Jays by the Mariners was the first time Toronto has been blanked at home by Seattle since June 1, 1987. ... The Blue Jays announced Saturday that pitcher Justin Germano has been sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo.
