Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston watches his team from the dugout as they play the San Diego Padres during their inter-league MLB baseball game in San Diego, California June 16, 2010. REUTERS/Mike BlakeMIKE BLAKE/Reuters
With each and every victory the Toronto Blue Jays continue to enjoy the kind of season that very few anticipated - save for manager Cito Gaston.
The veteran skipper said he never bought into the doomsday outlook that many preseason prognosticators forecast for the Blue Jays, who improved to a surprising 76-74 Tuesday night with a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners (57-93) at Rogers Centre.
"Seventy-six wins is something that a lot of people didn't think we were going to win," Gaston said after the victory. "I never had any doubt we would win that many games."
As has been the scenario in many of the Blue Jays wins this year, the home-run ball played a key role in the outcome.
All of the Blue Jay runs were scored off homers, beginning with a two-run drive by Vernon Wells in the first inning that provided Toronto with a 2-1 lead.
For Wells, the homer was his 28th of the year, the most he has counted since 2006 when he had 32.
Edwin Encarnacion notched his 15th home run for Toronto in the second with Travis Snider winding things up with a two-run shot in the fourth.
For Snider, it was his 10th home run of the year, giving the Blue Jays nine players in double figures in homers.
The Toronto win was a morale-booster for Marc Rzepczynski, the Blue Jays starting pitcher, who allowed two Seattle runs off seven hits over 6.1-innings to earn the victory to improve to 2-4 on the season.
It marked the first time in his last seven starts that the lefty, who will be vying for a starting role on next year's club, has pitched beyond the sixth inning.
"A lot better," a relieved Rzepczynski said of his outing. "I was able to throw my fastball more in the zone today. And then I was able to throw my breaking ball any time I wanted to."
The only thorn in his side was Ichiro Suzuki, who collected three of his four hits in the game off Rzepczynski to give him 197 on the season, three shy of reaching the 200-hit plateau for an incredible 10th straight season.
It was vintage Suzuki, who slapped two opposite-field hits into left field.
He also stroked a grounder into centre before legging out an infield hit in the ninth.
"I don't know where you pitch him, I don't know where you play him," marvelled Gaston. "I really believe he hits the ball where he wants to."
Gaston expressed surprise when informed that it was Suzuki's first four-hit game of the season.
"Wow," said the manager. "He had to pick it against us, too.
"Tell him to take tomorrow off."