Happ stymies Mariners for 13th win
BLUE JAYS: Encarnacion provides the power, moving into third on Toronto’s all-time home run list Steve Buffery
Usually when the Toronto Blue Jays score two runs in a ball game, they’re dead in the water.
But thanks to the efforts of starter J.A. Happ Sunday afternoon, and the club’s bullpen, the Jays won for the first time this season when scoring two or less.
Behind a hardscrabble six innings of work from Happ, the Jays defeated the Seattle Mariners 2-0 at the Rogers Centre, “improving” their record when scoring two runs or less to 1-23. The last time Toronto won a game when scoring fewer than three was Aug. 9, 2015 against the New York Yankees.
Happ gave up only one hit, striking out six and walking four (he also hit Robinson Cano in the fourth). He battled all the way, falling behind in the count more times than he would have liked, but rising above some tough innings, in three of which he allowed the leadoff batter to reach base.
“I wasn’t the best with strike one today, but I stayed in there,” Happ said. “And I think as the game went on I got a little bit better getting ahead of guys, definitely. I was just trying to figure myself out there and I was taking a deep breath and trying to re-compose.”
Happ came up particularly big in the fourth. After walking Chris Iannetta to lead off the inning and then hitting Cano, he got the dangerous Nelson Cruz to swing and miss on a 3-2 pitch. He then struck out DaeHo Lee looking and got Kyle Seager to pop out.
Happ’s change-up and curve wasn’t working particularly well early in the game, so he relied mostly on his two and four-seam fastballs.
“That’s (fastball) kind of my best pitch so I tried to use that and get ahead with that. You know when you’re not hitting on your other stuff sometimes you got to rely on that. But that will only take you so far, too,” Happ said. “I was trying to locate (with the fastball) and mix it up with the change.”
The win improved the big lefthander’s record to 13-3, the first time he has won 13 in a season.
“It means a lot,” Happ said of his 13 wins. “It’s a testament to our team and for myself it feels good. I just have to keep working to get better every day and figure out what works. I feel good about trusting in myself now and trusting in these guys so it’s been fun and hopefully these next two months will be even more so.”
Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion provided the offence by hitting a line drive home run to right centre field in the fourth inning off Seattle starter Wade Miley. The blast was his 27th of the season and it moved him into third place on the club’s all-time home run list with 224, one ahead of Vernon Wells, trailing only Carlos Delgado (336) and Jose Bautista (255).
The Jays’ win snapped a two-game losing streak and avoided being swept by the Mariners at home.
Happ was followed by Brett Cecil, Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna on the mound, all of whom pitched one inning without giving up a hit. Osuna picked up his 20th save of the season with a perfect ninth.
Manager John Gibbons has settled into having Grilli as his setup man and Osuna as the closer and is hoping that tandem remains consistent. Cecil’s curveball seems to be coming around, too, which is huge for the lefty.
As for the starter, the manager said Happ is a better pitcher now than he’s ever been.
“He’s got 13 wins now and there’s two months left so there’s no telling how many he can chalk up,” Gibbons said. “In all over baseball, he’s probably been the most consistent starter out there.”
Miley (6-8) also pitched well in taking the loss, giving up four hits in six innings.
The Jays other run came in the sixth. Catcher Josh Thole led off with a double that found the gap between centre and right. He then made it to third on a grounder to first by Darwin Barney. Seattle first baseman Lee threw it to third, hoping to get the slow-footed Thole, but Seager was late applying the tag. Thole scored on a double-play groundout to second by Josh Donaldson.