Blue Jays pound Mariners, complete 3-game sweep

George Springer hit a three-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the host Seattle Mariners 9-1 Sunday afternoon to complete a sweep of the three-game series.

Addison Barger also went deep for the Blue Jays, who went 4-2 on a six-game trip in which they lost the first two games to the Los Angeles Angels.

Dylan Moore homered for the Mariners, who had won each of their previous nine series.

Toronto’s Eric Lauer (1-0) pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory. The left-hander allowed just one hit with one walk and five strikeouts.

The Blue Jays, who posted 15 hits, opened the scoring in the second inning as Nathan Lukes, Ernie Clement and Myles Straw hit consecutive two-out singles.

The Mariners tied it in the third on Moore’s leadoff homer to left-center field.

The Blue Jays regained the lead in the fourth as Alejandro Kirk doubled to left with one out, took third on Lukes’ single to right and scored on Clement’s sacrifice fly to left.

With two outs in the fifth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined a single to left and Barger walked. Springer launched a 1-1 fastball from Bryce Miller (2-4) into the second deck in left field to make it 5-1.

Toronto tacked on two runs in the sixth. Lukes drew a leadoff walk and Clement lined a single to right, ending Miller’s afternoon. Straw put down a sacrifice fly to advance both runners and former Mariner Jonatan Clase doubled to left-center to increase the lead to 7-1.

Barger, a native of the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Wash., led off the seventh with a homer to right, his first of the season. Springer doubled to left and Lukes’ one-out single to center plated the final run.

Miller went five-plus innings and allowed seven runs on eight hits, with two walks and three strikeouts.

–Field Level Media