Mariners at Blue Jays
The Seattle Mariners continue to make themselves at home outside of the Pacific Northwest as they began their seven-game road trip with a no-hitter in the opener of their three-game series versus the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners (20-14) aim to add to their already impressive 12-6 road record on Wednesday when they vie for a series victory versus the Blue Jays (19-17).
Canadian James Paxton, who was selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2009 draft, followed up a 16-strikeout performance by rendering Toronto's bats silent in Tuesday's 5-0 triumph. Dee Gordon had two singles and a double to hit safely in eight straight starts while improving to 21-for-38 with eight runs scored in his last nine games heading into an encounter versus Jaime Garcia, against whom he is 5-for-15 in his career. While Seattle has won nine of 13 overall to keep the heat on in the American League West, Toronto has dropped four of five overall and five of its last six at Rogers Centre. Josh Donaldson is mired in an 0-for-14 rut in his last four contests after homering in each game of a doubleheader in his return from the disabled list.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), Sportsnet-1 (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 3.57 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH Jaime Garcia (2-2, 6.60)
A shoulder injury to Erasmo Ramirez propelled LeBlanc into the starting rotation, and the 33-year-old did not disappoint by scattering three hits over four scoreless innings against Oakland on Thursday in his first opportunity to begin a game since 2016. The solid performance prompted the Mariners to once again lean on the veteran southpaw as opposed to reaching out to Triple-A Tacoma in a bid to add another arm to the rotation. Donaldson is 4-for-9 with two homers and former Mariner Justin Smoak has also went deep twice in his career against LeBlanc, who has permitted four homers and five runs total in five innings over two career relief appearances versus the Blue Jays.
Garcia's performances progressively have gotten worse in 2018 as he set a season high in runs in each of his last three outings. The 31-year-old allowed four runs on April 22 and five the following outing before getting blitzed for six runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of a no-decision at Cleveland on Thursday. Garcia has struggled mightily with the home run ball, as he was taken deep for the eighth time this season with a three-run shot against the Indians.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays RHP Roberto Osuna was placed on administrative leave by the commissioner's office after being arrested and charged with assault on a woman by Toronto police.
2. Seattle 3B Kyle Seager, who made a diving stop to preserve Paxton's no-hit bid in the seventh inning, has reached base in 11 of his last 14 games.
3. Toronto 2B Yangervis Solarte is 1-for-14 in his last four games after erupting for eight hits - including two homers - to go along with seven RBIs and four runs scored in his previous two.