ce fly.Joey Votto had two of the Reds six hits.Brando

SEATTLE -- After weeks of mostly poor performances, Marco Estrada once again flirted with a no-hitter for Toronto.And just when the Blue Jays needed that quality of a performance.Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth -- an inning that ended on Kevin Pillars sliding catch to save a run -- but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases before Canos single.Estradas outing was exactly what the slumping Blue Jays needed. They arrived in Seattle having dropped two straight and four of six, and their wild-card lead dwindled in the process. Estrada was partly to blame for the September swoon. In his previous six starts, he was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.But he was brilliant against the Mariners, keeping the thousands of Blue Jays fans that made the trip south from British Columbia cheering all night as Toronto pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.Im not really sure whats been going on, as the game gets going I start to struggle a little bit, Estrada said. We looked at video and there have been little things here and there that we caught. We changed it up and felt pretty good today.Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.The final six outs were trying for the Blue Jays. Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs in the eighth, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-pitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.Closer Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osunas 34th save.We know whats ahead of us, and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. I thought our guys gave a really good effort tonight, just wasnt enough.Encarnacions two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.NEAR MISSESEstrada has never completed a no-hitter, but hes been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.Its not something that I was focused on. Obviously if it would have happened it would have been incredible but it didnt. Cano hit a pretty good pitch, Estrada said.DONALDSON TOSSEDTorontos Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroys face and was quickly tossed.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Bostons Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Angels. Angel Delgado Clippers Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Ivica Zubac Clippers Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. https://www.clipperslockerroom.com/Terance-Mann-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Avery Bradley Jersey . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. Amir Coffey Jersey . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. SAN FRANCISCO -- Jay Bruce insists he isnt sitting around and savoring his home run streak.Theres no time for that, he said. You do that in this game and its too late.Bruce homered in his career-high fifth straight game, connecting off Madison Bumgarner and leading Dan Straily and the Cincinnati Reds over the slumping San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Wednesday.Bruce hit his 25th homer of the season. His sixth home run during his five-game streak broke a 1-all tie in the seventh inning.One day hopefully a long, long time from now, I can sit back and reflect, but right now theres no time for that, everythings moving too fast, Bruce said. Its too demanding a game to kick back and think back about all youve done.The NL West-leading Giants got just four hits and lost for the ninth time in 11 games since the All-Star break. The last-place Reds are 8-4 over that stretch.Straily (6-6) gave up three hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out five in his longest outing of the season.Hes got great deception, Reds manager Bryan Price said.We all look up at the radar gun readings and hes 88 (mph) to 91, but he has a lot of swings and misses on that fastball. He had a lot of check swings, a lot of swings off the plate, and that to me thats what deception is all about, he said. Its about how early do hitters see the ball and recognize the spin and speed of the ball.Straily improved to 2-0 in his career against Bumgarner.Definitely, you take pride in battling against the best in baseball, Straily said. Its no different than any other game, but when it happens on a day like today it makes it a little more special.Tony Cingrani pitched a scoreless ninth for his 12th save.Bumgarner (10-6) allowed one earned run and five hits in eight innings, striking out nine.The Giants have lost six of his last eight starts. He hasnt had much run ssupport of late, with the Giants scoring 10 runs in his last five games.ddddddddddddIts disappointing when you have Bum throw the ball the way he did today, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. He gave up five hits and couldnt get a win. We just couldnt figure out Straily. We couldnt generate much offensively and its disappointing when you have your starter throw like that.Conor Gillaspie hit a solo homer for the Giants in the second.San Francisco left fielder Angel Pagan dropped a flyball in the fifth, setting up Tucker Barnharts tying sacrifice fly.Joey Votto had two of the Reds six hits.Brandon Belt was 0 for 2 with a walk, snapping his 11-game hitting streak against the Reds. He went into the game as a career .398 hitter vs. Cincinnati, including a .522 mark since the beginning of last season.The Reds hit eight homers in winning the three-game series. Cincinnati has won four straight sets.When you look at the whole body of work, were driving in runs, pitchers are throwing strikes, the bullpen has been much more reliable and were playing better defense, Price said. That mix of things gives you the opportunity to stay in more games and win them.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: INF Ramiro Pena, who left Tuesday nights game early with a groin injury after taking a bad hop, was a late scratch from Wednesdays lineup.UP NEXTReds: Off Thursday, then LHP Brandon Finnegan (5-8, 4.93 ERA) starts at San Diego. He has an 11.05 ERA over his last four outings.Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (13-2, 2.53) will pitch Thursday in the opener of a four-game series against NL East-leading Washington. He is 7-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 11 career starts against the Nationals with a 16-inning scoreless streak dating to 2014. ' ' '