And just like that, the Seattle Mariners have put together a five-game winning streak. On Monday night, the Mariners kicked off a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays with a 4-1 win at Safeco Field.
The Blue Jays scored first, as Rajai Davis hit a leadoff home run off Hisashi Iwakuma to start the game. Unfortunately for Toronto, that would be the extent of their scoring, as Iwakuma pitched an absolute gem. He ended up holding the Jays to just four hits and three walks in eight innings and struck out an astounding 13 batters to improve to 2-2. It's safe to say this was the best game of Iwakuma's career.
The Mariners took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning as John Jaso drove in a run on a double-play and Kyle Seager tacked on yet another two-out RBI to add to his MLB-leading total. Mike Carp scored on a fielding error in the second to make it 3-1 and Michael Saunders hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth for added insurance.
The Mariners made a pair of trades after the game. The first trade sent Brandon League to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of prospects. The second deal was a bit closer to home, as the Blue Jays sent outfielder Eric Thames to the Mariners in exchange for reliever Steve Delabar.
Thames is having a down year after a solid 2011 rookie season, but both of these trades could end up working out well for the future of the Mariners franchise.
For all news and information regarding the Seattle Mariners, please visit Lookout Landing. For updates and perspective on the Toronto Blue Jays, head on over to Bluebird Banter. You can also check out everything we have to offer at Baseball Nation.
