TORONTO — Felix Hernandez summed up his latest loss in one word: terrible.
Edwin Encarnacion hit his 40th home run, Adam Lind also connected and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 8-3 Thursday night to send Hernandez to his third straight defeat.
“That was terrible right there,” a frustrated Hernandez said.
Hernandez (13-8) allowed a season-high seven runs and 10 hits in four innings, struck out four and walked one. He has a 9.00 ERA in his last three outings, losing three consecutive starts for the first time since Sept. 12-24 last year.
“It looked like his stuff was pretty good,” Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. “He just didn’t have the same location that you normally see him have.”
Hernandez matched a season-high by giving up 11 hits to Oakland in his last start, and complained afterward that none of his pitches had been working.
“Today, nothing was working, either,” he said after being beaten around by the Blue Jays.
Hernandez is 2-3 since throwing the major leagues’ 23rd perfect game against Tampa Bay on Aug. 15.
“I have to do something,” he said. “The last three starts have been disappointing.”
Encarnacion hit a three-run shot in a five-run fourth inning as the Blue Jays avoided a three-game sweep.
Even Hernandez was impressed after Encarnacion sent a changeup into the second deck in left.
“Oh, man, that was long,” Hernandez said. “That’s a pretty good one right there. It was a good pitch, it was down.”
Encarnacion’s shot gave him 102 RBI, the first time he has topped 100.
“I have eight years playing in the big leagues, I never got to 80,” Encarnacion said. “It’s not easy to get to 100 RBI. Not many people make it to 100 RBI so that’s the bigger thing for me.”
Lind’s homer was a two-run shot to right in the first.
Henderson Alvarez (9-12) allowed three runs in seven innings to beat his childhood idol. Both pitchers were born in Valencia, Venezuela.
“(Hernandez) is the guy that I always follow,” Alvarez said through a translator. “I’m always looking forward to see what he’s doing so I can accomplish the same thing.”
Alvarez, who walked three and struck out two, has won back-to-back starts for the first time since July 22-28.
“He was throwing hard and it looked like his velocity stayed with him throughout the game,” Seattle’s John Jaso said. “His fastball had good life on it and he kept it going.”
Brad Lincoln and Aaron Loup each worked one inning of relief as Toronto avoided a sixth straight defeat to Seattle.
Trailing 2-0 on Lind’s homer, the Mariners tied it in the second on Carlos Peguero’s two-run double over left fielder Rajai Davis.
Brett Lawrie’s two-run single put the Blue Jays ahead in the fourth, Colby Rasmus walked and Encarnacion followed with his homer. He moved one behind Texas slugger Josh Hamilton, who leads the major leagues with 41 homers.
“This is a very good right-handed power hitter,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said of Encarnacion. “He’s having one heck of a year for us.”
Jeff Mathis hit an RBI single off Carter Capps in the fifth for an 8-2 lead, and Dustin Ackley hit a solo homer off Alvarez in the seventh.
Mathis matched a career high with the third four-hit game of his big league career, his second this season.
Notes
When Encarnacion’s bat shattered on his groundout in the first inning, the barrel flew into the Blue Jays dugout and struck pitching coach Bruce Walton on a forearm. Walton, who sustained a bruise, was taken for precautionary X-rays. “Fortunately he was able to get his arms up in front of his face,” Farrell said. “And that’s where it was heading: right up into his head.” Bullpen coach Pete Walker replaced Walton on Toronto’s bench. … Rajai Davis was nearly thrown out after making a big turn around first on his infield single in the third and was later thrown out at third after going too far round the bag on Mathis’ bunt single. … Seattle INF Carlos Triunfel doubled in the ninth, his first career hit.
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