Seattle @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2014 ) Seattle 0, Toronto 1
At a time when the Seattle Mariners need all the victories they can muster, all they have been doing is losing and moving themselves closer to elimination in the American League wild-card race. Seattle has lost five consecutive games entering Thursday’s series finale against the host Toronto Blue Jays and trails Kansas City and Oakland by three games with four to play. The Mariners have been outscored 25-6 in three games against Toronto and have lost 11 of their last 15 contests.
The Blue Jays can clinch a winning season by finishing off the sweep, which would be their first above-.500 campaign since 2010. Toronto notched a 1-0 victory on Wednesday behind Mark Buehrle’s pitching and two hits by Ryan Goins, including the decisive hit-and-run single in which Munenori Kawasaki scored from first with two out in the eighth. Seattle, which was shut out for the 19th time, was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and had pinch runner James Jones picked off first for the first out in the ninth.
TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), RSN (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Tom Wilhelmsen (3-2, 2.10 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Daniel Norris (0-0, 5.40)
Wilhelmsen will make his second start of the season with Seattle electing to skip struggling Chris Young. He started against Minnesota on July 10 and took the loss as he gave up two runs (one earned) and one hit in 2 2/3 innings. Wilhelmsen will be asked to go as long as he can before the rest of the bullpen takes over.
Norris is making his first major-league start after four relief appearances. He got the call with Marcus Stroman serving a suspension. The 21-year-old Norris was 12-2 with a 2.53 ERA in three different minor-league stops this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays DH Edwin Encarnacion has six RBIs in the series and is three shy of his third career 100-RBI season.
2. Seattle 1B/DH Kendrys Morales is 4-for-27 over the last eight games and doesn’t have an RBI over his past 12 games.
3. Toronto RF Jose Bautista is 6-for-9 with six runs scored in the series.
PREDICTION: Blue Jays 6, Mariners 3