TORONTO — Alex Rios homered twice, David Purcey earned his first major league win and the streaking Toronto Blue Jays beat Seattle 8-3 on Saturday, handing the Mariners their seventh consecutive defeat.
Seattle, which has won one of eight since the All-Star break, matched its longest skid of the season. The Mariners also lost seven straight from May 20-26.
The Blue Jays equaled a season high by winning their fifth straight.
Rios hit a solo drive to left in the first inning, then added another solo shot to center in the fifth for the second multihomer game of his career. He also hit two homers on June 12, 2006, against Baltimore.
Rios, who has eight home runs this season, finished 2-for-2 with a walk and three RBIs.
Joe Inglett went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and scored twice for Toronto, which has won seven of eight at home and 11 of 15 overall to move two games above .500.
Purcey (1-1), who made two spot starts for Toronto earlier this season, gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings. The left-hander walked one and struck out four.
Scott Downs worked the seventh, Brandon League pitched the eighth and Jason Frasor closed it out in the ninth.
Seattle’s Jose Lopez homered and drove in three runs, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games.
Starting in place of Carlos Silva (sore lower back), right-hander R.A. Dickey (2-6) allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 5 1-3 innings. He walked four and struck out three.
Trailing 1-0 on Rios’ first-inning homer, the Mariners tied it in the second when Adrian Beltre and Lopez hit back-to-back doubles.
Scott Rolen’s sacrifice fly in the bottom half made it 2-1 Toronto, and the Blue Jays added another run in the third when Joe Inglett scored on a wild pitch.
Brad Wilkerson hit a sacrifice fly and Inglett singled home a run as the Blue Jays added two more in the fourth.
Rios’ second homer made it 6-1 before Lopez hit a two-run drive to left in the sixth.
Toronto replied with two more runs in the bottom half. Gregg Zaun doubled and scored on Inglett’s single, and Rios hit a sacrifice fly.
Ichiro Suzuki singled in the ninth to snap an 0-for-14 slump. He finished 1-for-5. Suzuki has a combined 2,996 hits between the major leagues and the Japanese League. He has 1,718 hits for Seattle.
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