Mariners end four-game skid on Sexon slam

TORONTO – Richie Sexson just wanted to tie the game with a sacrifice fly. He did much better.

First baseman Sexson hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to rally Seattle to a 7-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night, snapping the Mariners’ four-game losing streak.

Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs led off with a single against struggling Toronto closer Miguel Batista (5-7). Ichiro Suzuki followed with a perfect bunt single – his fourth bunt hit since Sept 1.

Pinch-hitter Ramon Santiago advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Batista intentionally walked Raul Ibanez to face Sexson, who hit the first pitch over the wall in right for his 38th homer, his third grand slam of the season and the ninth of his career.

“I was actually just looking for a fly ball there. That’s really all we need, just tie the game,” Sexson said. “It came out a little better than that.”

It was the third time this season Sexson drove in five runs.

“That’s my job. That’s why I was hired to come here, to drive in runs,” said Sexson, who signed a four-year, $50 million contract before this season. “I enjoy those situations. The guys did a good job to get on.”

A fan yelled at Sexson just before he homered and he heard him.

“Especially in here. You can here a pin drop in here,” he said.

The paid attendance was announced at 18,762, but there were a lot fewer people in the building.

Batista has blown eight saves this season – four since Aug. 23. He left without talking to reporters.

“Bad location,” Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said of the pitch Sexson hit out. “He’s trying to go middle in to Sexson there and he leaves it out and over the middle. You’re not missing by inches, you’re missing by a foot, a foot-and-a-half there and that’s not acceptable in a big-league game. He knows that.”

George Sherrill (4-2) got the last out of the eighth and was the winner.

Eddie Guardado loaded the bases in the ninth and allowed pinch-hitter Gregg Zaun’s run-scoring grounder before retiring Reed Johnson on a grounder to short with runners on second and third to earn his 32nd save.

Toronto’s Alex Rios tripled and homered in his first start since being benched for not running out a routine fly ball Friday against New York.

The Blue Jays scored three runs on five straight hits off Seattle starter Jamie Moyer in the third inning. Moyer allowed four runs and six hits in six innings.