SEATTLE 3 TORONTO 2
The swagger seems to have gone and the numbers are getting ugly.
Toronto Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero just can't get on track and the losses are really starting to pile up.
Romero lasted just fourplus innings Wednesday night as Toronto dropped a 3-2 decision to the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre. It was yet another inconsistent outing from the Blue Jays starter, who has dropped a team-record 13 straight decisions.
The left-hander said he feels fine physically but doesn't have an answer for why he's mired in his long slump.
"I don't even know anymore," Romero said. "It's been tough but you just have to get ready for the next one."
Miguel Olivo homered and Kyle Seager had three hits as Seattle (69-74) won its second straight game over Toronto (64-77). Kevin Millwood (6-12) and four relievers combined to allow only two Blue Jays hits on the night.
Edwin Encarnacion belted his 39th home run of the season for Toronto in the fourth inning. The Seattle bullpen took over in the sixth and held the Blue Jays without a hit the rest of the way.
Tom Wilhelmsen pitched the ninth for his 26th save.
Romero's skid is the longest in the major leagues this season and the longest for a Blue Jay in a single year.
While he managed to get out of a few jams, the Mariners had little trouble putting runners on base.
Romero's location was off and Seattle made him pay with steady hitting and a few good breaks.
A look of disappointment was often etched on Romero's face. The steely look of confidence that he displayed at the start of the season has been replaced by regular grimaces and deep sighs.
When manager John Farrell started to walk out of the dugout to pull his starter from the game, Romero casually kicked the resin bag by the mound.
His night was ending early yet again and the long run of futility would continue.
"You want to stay in but I understand the situation," Romero said. "The pitch count is getting up. It was my bad. Two innings where I had two outs and I walked the next guy. So I got in trouble myself and that [fifth] inning, I just got a little off track."
Romero sat down on the dugout bench with a blank look on his face. He eventually buried his face in his hands.
"It's part of baseball, you know," Olivo said. "Last year, early in the season he was untouchable. A lot of people go through that. I know he's a good pitcher.
"He's one of the toughest lefties you can face."
Olivo opened the scoring in the second inning with a rainbow solo homer that just cleared the wall in leftcentre field. The Mariners followed with a pair of singles before Romero got out of the jam with a strikeout and flyout.
Seattle padded its lead with a pair of runs in the fourth. Brandon Ryan drew a two-out walk and moved to third when Dustin Ackley sliced a pitch into left field that bounced into the seats for a ground-rule double.
