Mariners handily defeat Blue Jays behind Torrens' big night
Jays outfielder George Springer departs with ankle injury
Toronto centre 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-centre 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.
Jays drop 3rd straight
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.
TeOPPO 🌮<br><br>💣 <a href="https://twitter.com/TeoscarH?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeoscarH</a> 💣 <a href="https://t.co/ytDOZvMtPF">pic.twitter.com/ytDOZvMtPF</a>
—@BlueJaysTeoscar Hernandez 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. Hernandez 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.
