Game recap: Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0

Takeaway

One day after collecting a season-high-tying 19 hits in a 14-5 romp over Toronto, the Mariners mustered one hit off ex-teammate J.A. Happ and three relievers Sunday and lost 2-0 to the Blue Jays at Rogers Center (box). Seattle (50-48) missed recording its fifth sweep of the season and what would have been its first broom job in Toronto since May 11-13, 2001.

Happ, traded by Seattle to Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline for Adrian Sampson, allowed only one hit over six innings while recording six strikeouts. Wade Miley pitched credibly for Seattle, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings, but had his sixth consecutive defeat. Miley hasn’t won since June 7.

Essential moment

Miley’s one big mistake cost the Mariners the game. With two outs in the fourth inning, he left a sinker too high in the zone and served up Edwin Encarnacion’s 27th home run. Following Encarnacion’s blast, the Mariners managed two base runners, both on walks.

Hitters

Leonys Martin had Seattle’s only hit, a single to right in the third inning, that tied a team season low in a 1-0 loss to Kansas City April 29. Seattle produced six base runners.

The Mariners fanned 10 times, went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded five.

Pitchers

Miley (6-8) struck out four and walked two among his 89 pitches, 56 for strikes.  The second run Miley yielded came on a double-play ball in the sixth by Josh Donaldson that allowed Josh Thole to score from third.

Tom Wilhelmsen and Joaquin Benoit each pitched a scoreless inning. Neither allowed a hit.

Happ, who went 4-6, 4.54 ERA for Seattle last season before his trade to the Pirates, is a career-best 13-3 this year.

Words

“It was a well-pitched game on both sides. Happ pitched really well, but so did Wade Miley. He made a mistake on the home run ball. We just struck out too many times today. We had our chances, but couldn’t get anything going against Happ.” — Mariners manager Scott Servais

“I was able to make some pitches, but on the home run, I was trying to go up and away and somehow it ended up middle-middle and he crushed it. I kind of slipped a little bit when I threw it and he hammered it.” — Miley

Noteworthy

Sunday’s game lasted two hours, 21 minutes, tied for the shortest of the season. The Mariners also played a 2:21 game vs. the White Sox July 18  . . . The Mariners sustained their fourth blanking of the season and first since July 16 vs. Houston at Safeco Field . . . Mariners are 15-7 against the AL East . . . Servais originally penciled in Franklin Gutierrez as the DH Sunday, but had to scratch him when Gutierrez developed a sore neck. Chris Iannetta replaced him.

Next

The Mariners are off Monday and will open a two-game set in Pittsburgh Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. RHP Felix Hernandez (4-4, 3.23), who allowed five earned runs in his last start, will oppose LHP Francisco Liriano (6-9, 4.96). Following another day off Thursday, the Mariners will begin a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.