BY MIKE CORMACK
sportsnet.ca
Travis Snider has worked so hard to get back to the big leagues that he wasn't about to let one bad night at the plate derail his recent success.
On the heels of an 0-for-6 night at the plate Tuesday with four strikeouts, the Blue Jays outfielder took some extra batting practice Wednesday and responded with his third home run and tied his career-high with five RBIs in Toronto's 11-6 win over the Seattle Mariners before 18,093 at Rogers Centre.
Toronto (49-49) returns to the .500 mark and has won seven of its past nine games.
Since being recalled from triple-A Las Vegas on July 3, the 23-year-old has batted .357 with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs in 13 games.
"I think that speaks to the confidence he has with his overall approach," said Jays skipper John Farrell. "They pitched him tough last night with a lot of off-speed pitches down and away, but when he gets strikes and a pitch in the zone he can handle, he's a put a charge into the baseball."
Snider -- who admitted after the game that off-speed pitches low and away from lefties has been his "kryptonite" early in his big league career -- said the early work in the cage Wednesday was just simply part of his new overall mindset.
"I know I've said it 100 different times, but it really is being able to release your performance whether it's good or bad the day before and focus on the next day," he said.
"Getting caught up in feeling good about myself is not the mindset I want have here. It's about staying on an even keel and understanding you're going to have 0-for-6 days and know you have to come back the next day ready to play."
The loss was the 11th straight for the Mariners (43-53), and it came at the hands of their 2006 first round draft pick (5th overall), Brandon Morrow.
The 26-year-old Blue Jays starter-- acquired back on Dec. 22, 2009 in exchange for reliever Brandon League and minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez -- made his first career start against his former club, and limited them to just three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts over his seven innings of work to improve to 7-4.
"That guy has got really good stuff," said Mariners short stop Brendan Ryan. "Even when he throws 97 (mph), it's still got a little cut on it. He's going to be as good as he wants to be in this league. There's not many guys with stuff like that.
Meanwhile, Morrow's Seattle counterpart, Jason Vargas (6-8), couldn't find the strike zone and of the five batters he walked through his three innings of work, each of them crossed home plate.
In the bottom of the second, following Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion singles, Snider cashed in Lind with a sac fly to put the Jays in front 1-0. Following free passes to Aaron Hill and Jose Molina to load the bases, Yunel Escobar worked Vargas for a walk and another run to make it 2-0 before Eric Thames delivered a two-out RBI double to make it 4-0.
Escobar's walk meant he's now reached base safely in a career-high 24 consecutive games. He was substituted at shortstop for John McDonald to begin the sixth, but Farrell said it was simply to give him some extra rest with a day game Thursday.
Walks came back to bite the Mariners again in the bottom of the fourth after new pitcher Jamey Wright issued one-out free passes to Jose Bautista -- DHing for the second consecutive game-- and Adam Lind.
Wright appeared to be out of trouble after getting Edwin Encarnacion to hit into a tailor-made double-play grounder to short, but a poor throw pulled Adam Kennedy off the bag, giving the Jays new life and bringing Snider to the plate.
This time, Snider clubbed a towering three-run blast to right, giving the Jays an 8-2 advantage.
The only man hotter on the Jays right now is Encarnacion, who finished with three more hits Wednesday -- including his seventh home run -- and is batting .472 (17-for 36) over his past nine games.
"Eddie's playing outstanding baseball on both sides of the ball," said Farrell. "When Eddie's swinging the bat like he can, he himself can almost have the presence of that Jose (Bautista) can have in the lineup."
Octavio Dotel pitched the ninth for Toronto, surrendering a two-run home run to Dustin Ackley in the process.
The Blue Jays go for the three-game series sweep Thursday at 12:37 p.m. ET when Ricky Romero (7-9, 3.18) takes on Doug Fister (3-11, 3.18).
The club announced earlier Wednesday that the Rogers Centre roof will be closed Thursday due to the extreme heat.
NOTES: Farrell said Jose Bautista's return to the field will continue to be assessed on a day-by-day basis … Earlier Wednesday with single-A Dunedin, RHP Dustin McGowan pitched 2.1 innings giving up two hits, 0 runs, two walks and struck out four as he continues to try and work his way back to Toronto.
