TORONTO — Jose Bautista used his bat and his glove to keep the Blue Jays in the wild-card race for at least one more day.
Bautista homered and reached base four times, J.A. Happ won for the first time in four starts and the Toronto Blue Jays dealt a blow to Seattle’s playoff hopes, routing the Mariners 14-4 Monday night.
“He’s definitely one of the best hitters in baseball and he’s one of the best defenders in baseball,” manager John Gibbons said of Bautista.
Bautista went 3 for 3 with a walk and drove in two runs before getting the rest of the night off. His solo homer off the facing of the second deck in the fifth, against Mariners reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, was his 35th.
Bautista also made a diving catch to retire Austin Jackson and strand a runner at second base in the second, then threw out Logan Morrison trying to stretch a single into a double in the fourth. The assist was Bautista’s 12th.
Toronto staved off mathematical elimination, but will be eliminated from postseason contention with its next defeat or Kansas City’s next win.
Kevin Pillar hit a two-run homer and Anthony Gose added a solo shot as the Blue Jays handed Seattle its third straight loss. The 14 runs were the most by a Mariners opponent this season.
“These type of losses, they’re bummers, because you’re out of it right from the start,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said.
Seattle gained ground on Kansas City in the wild-card race before taking the field when the Royals lost to Cleveland in a game that had been suspended from Aug. 31.
Not much went right for the Mariners after that.
Kansas City blanked the Indians 2-0 in the second game at Cleveland, moving two games ahead of Seattle with six games remaining.
McClendon said he didn’t see the need to speak to his players after the big defeat.
“What are you going to say, that these are the biggest games of the year? They know what’s at stake,” McClendon said.
Happ (10-11) allowed an RBI double by Robinson Cano in the first, and Kyle Seager’s solo homer in the sixth, but was otherwise sharp. The left-hander walked one and struck out five in seven innings for his first victory since Aug. 31.
“It feels good to go out and get deeper in the game, accomplish some of the goals that I kind of felt I could do,” Happ said.
Seattle’s James Paxton (6-4) allowed a career-high nine runs, walked a career-high six and matched a career-high by giving up seven hits in 2 2/3 innings, his shortest career start.
He was just too charged up,” McClendon said. “He couldn’t control his strike zone.”
Paxton came in not having allowed more than three runs in any of his 15 previous starts. That streak ended quickly when he allowed four runs in the first — three on a bases-loaded triple by Danny Valencia.
Paxton, a left-hander from British Columbia was drafted by Toronto in 2009 but did not sign, and played in an independent league before the Mariners drafted him in 2010. Monday marked his first start against Toronto, and his first career appearance in Canada.
“I probably just wanted it a bit too much,” Paxton said.
YOUNG YANKED
Seattle RHP Chris Young has been scratched from Thursday’s scheduled start after going 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA in his past five outings. McClendon, who did not name a replacement, said Young will pitch out of the bullpen for now. “I think he’s probably out of gas from a starting standpoint,” McClendon said.
TEN-SPOT
Happ became the fifth Toronto starter to reach 10 wins. It’s the first time in team history that the Blue Jays have had five starters reach the 10-win plateau.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: LHP Roenis Elias (elbow) has been shut down for the season. The rookie made 29 starts for Seattle, but left his Sept. 16 outing against the Los Angeles Angels after three innings because of soreness.
Blue Jays: Adam Lind (back) missed his third straight game, with John Mayberry Jr. starting at first base. Manager John Gibbons said he expects Lind to be able to return Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez (14-5) faces Blue Jays RHP R.A. Dickey (13-12) on Tuesday. Hernandez is 5-5 with a 4.63 ERA in 12 career starts against Toronto.
