Blue Jays lose another close one, fall 3-2 to Mariners

TORONTO (AP) The Toronto Blue Jays keep coming up one run short of success. It was the same story on Saturday.

Kyle Seager homered, James Paxton earned his first road win of the season and the Seattle Mariners beat the Blue Jays 3-2.

Toronto lost for the 11th time in 14 games and fell a season-high seven games below .500. They're 2-10 in one-run games and have lost their past six one-run outcomes.

''All losing is frustrating,'' manager John Gibbons said. ''I don't know if it's any more frustrating (to lose by one).''

Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle (5-4) lost his second straight start, giving up three runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings. It was Buehrle's first loss in four home starts.

''It's obviously frustrating,'' Buehrle said. ''We've lost some close games. A lot of one-run games that we're not coming through on top. We've just got to keep battling.''

Toronto is last in the AL East but entered play Saturday just 5 1-2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay.

''We've been playing pretty bad and we're not too far out of it,'' Buehrle said. ''That's the one thing we can look at and have some hope on.''

Paxton (3-2) won his third straight start, allowing two runs and four hits in six innings. It's his first road win since Sept. 2, 2014, at Oakland. He'd gone 0-3 with a 5.30 ERA in his previous six outings away from home.

Paxton came in riding a 20-inning scoreless streak but couldn't make it last beyond the first three batters. Josh Donaldson doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Edwin Encarnacion's sacrifice fly.

''He did a great job after that to really slow down and pitch his game,'' catcher Mike Zunino said.

Paxton, from British Columbia, was hit hard in his first start in Canada on Sept. 22, allowing a career-high nine runs - eight earned - in 2 2-3 innings.

''I feel like I was better prepared this time and I'll be better prepared next time, also,'' Paxton said.

Tom Wilhelmsen pitched the seventh, Carson Smith worked the eighth and Fernando Rodney finished for his 12th save.

Willie Bloomquist hit a two-run double as the Mariners won for the seventh time in 10 meetings with Toronto.

Seager tied it in the second with a one-out blast into the second deck in right.

The Mariners took advantage of suspect outfield defense to score two in the third. Chris Taylor doubled over the head of Chris Colabello in right, Rickie Weeks walked and Bloomquist hit a two-run double beyond the reach of Danny Valencia in left.

Colabello cut the deficit to one with a two-out homer to left in the fourth.

HOMERS PILING UP

Blue Jays pitchers have allowed at least one home run in each of the past nine games, giving up 17 in that span. The Blue Jays also allowed homers in nine straight games from Sept. 10-19, 2014.

IN SEARCH OF SIX

Toronto is 4-24 when scoring five runs or fewer.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Ryan Goins twisted his left ankle and fell down in pain as he broke out of the batter's box on a grounder in the fifth. He received attention from the trainer before hobbling off the field but remained in the game.

UP NEXT

Mariners: RHP Taijuan Walker (1-4, 7.47) is winless in his past four outings and 1-3 with a 10.71 ERA in five road starts. Walker lost 1-0 in his only career start against Toronto last September 24 despite allowing one run in eight innings.

Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 4.17) has lost his past two starts. He pitched a career-high 7 1-3 innings against the Angels on May 19, giving up three runs on six hits.