First-inning homer leads Blue Jays to 4-0 win over Mariners

SEATTLE — Another largely partisan Toronto crowd was chanting “Let’s Go Blue Jays!” Sunday when Jose Bautista caught Mitch Haniger’s liner for the final out.

Give the visiting fans this much: They brought a lot more electricity to Safeco Field over the weekend than the Mariners, whose 4-0 defeat was preceded by a 4-2 loss Saturday night.

And though the Mariners won seven of 11 during the homestand, the momentum provided by last week’s five-game winning streak was all but forgotten.

“They out-pitched us today, basically,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

That was evident in the first inning, when Mariners starter James Paxton gave up a leadoff double to Kevin Pillar. Josh Donaldson followed with a homer to right field, and the Jays had all the runs they’d need just two batters into the game.

Paxton had been superior both before and after the forearm-strain injury that put him on the disabled list, but struggled against a Jays lineup that combines patience with power.

“I didn’t feel great today,” said Paxton, whose record fell to 5-1 after lasting just four innings — his shortest outing in more than a year. “I had a hard time finding my timing and rhythm. I didn’t have it, but I have a plan for getting myself back when I need to.

“I’ll be ready for the next one.”

Until reliever Emilo Pagan replaced him in the fifth, Paxton was in perpetual jam-prevention mode. He allowed eight hits and three walks as the Jays worked his pitch count to 94.

“Paxton is off to a good start,” Servais said. “Everybody in the league knows who he is, and guys get geared up for him. He just wasn’t on top of his game.”

Paxton most disappointing 2017 start coincided with what was J.A. Happ’s best start. The Jays lefty, a former Mariner, struck out six over six scoreless innings, improving his record to 1-4.

“He looked like the old guy,” said Toronto manager John Gibbons, referring to the 2016 Cy Young Award candidate who went 20-4, with a 3.18 ERA. “His fastball was jumping, with much better command. He didn’t use a whole lot of other things, but he normally doesn’t anyway. I think that was a step in the right direction. It answered a lot of questions for me.”

Happ wasn’t flawless. The Mariners had runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings, and advanced as far as third base in both the second and third. But Happ escaped the second by striking out Taylor Motter, and coaxed Kyle Seager to ground out to first in the third.

“I felt like we had Happ on the edge the first three or four innings,” Servais said, “but we just couldn’t push him off the edge. A run or two may have made a difference.”

Returning to a theme that characterized their early-season offensive struggles, the Mariners finished 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

One bright spot for Seattle was the pitching of Pagan, who was called up Saturday from Tacoma. He allowed no hits and struck out five over four shutout innings.

“Emilio Pagan did a great job out of the bullpen,” Servais said. “He kept us in the game. To get four innings out of him helped give some guys rest going into the next series. He did his job and then some.”