Mariners at Blue Jays
James Paxton was left with a sour taste in his mouth after striking out a career-high 16 batters only to walk away with a no-decision in his last outing. The 29-year-old British Columbia native will look for a better result on Tuesday as the Seattle Mariners begin a seven-game road trip with the opener of a three-game set versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
Ryon Healy homered in Sunday's 8-2 setback to the Los Angeles Angels, marking the fifth time in eight outings that he has gone deep while boosting his RBI and runs scored totals to 11 and eight, respectively, in that stretch. Kyle Seager has reached base in 10 of his last 13 games with four multi-hit performances in that run for the Mariners (19-14), who have answered a 6-1 stretch by dropping three of their last five. While Seattle is a solid 11-6 on the road this season, Toronto (19-16) posted a 4-4 mark on its recent trek and returns home where it has lost four of its last five. Kevin Pillar had a pair of doubles in Sunday's 2-1 triumph over Tampa Bay to give him 17 hits in his last dozen contests heading into a tilt with Paxton, against whom he is 2-for-9 with two doubles.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), Sportsnet-1 (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH James Paxton (1-1, 4.19 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (0-4, 7.52)
Paxton overpowered Oakland batters with a fastball that he kept up in the zone on Wednesday to record 16 of his 21 outs via strikeout while allowing five hits in seven scoreless frames. "I'm not going to go out and strike out 16 every time, but just the approach," the southpaw said. "I think I've found a good way to approach the game for me, and that's what I'll be focusing on." Paxton, who was denied a victory after the bullpen imploded over the last two frames, owns a 2-1 mark with a 6.32 ERA in his three previous starts in Toronto.
Stroman's disastrous season continued on Wednesday as he lost his third straight start despite allowing just two runs on six hits over seven innings in a 4-0 setback at Minnesota. The 27-year-old, who surrendered fewer than four runs for the first time in six trips to the mound this season, plans to use his cut fastball between 20-25 times per outing. "It's a pitch I'll start to use effectively going forward," said Stroman, who owns a 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two career appearances versus Seattle.
WALK-OFFS
1. Toronto, which opens a six-game homestand on Tuesday, plays 13 of its next 15 at Rogers Centre.
2. Seattle CF Dee Gordon has hit safely in seven consecutive starts and is 18-for-32 with seven runs scored in his those contests.
3. Blue Jays 1B Justin Smoak, who is a former Mariner, has a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored during his four-game hitting streak.