Turning point? Raleigh's 2-HR day ends skid at four?

TORONTO -- J.P. Crawford tying a game in Toronto and quieting more than 40,000 fans in the late innings? Cal Raleigh crushing a massive homer to the pull side in the same building? Sound familiar?

The Mariners rode the same recipe from their epic American League Wild Card Series victory in Game 2 at Rogers Centre last October to an emphatic 10-8 win over the Blue Jays in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon. The victory punctuated a turnaround to a day where things look as bleak as any other point in a season that reached the one-month mark.

The Blue Jays scored eight unanswered runs after Taylor Trammell ripped a first-inning grand slam, but Seattle crept its way back via a solo homer from Teoscar Hernández in the sixth, a two-run shot from Raleigh in the eighth, a game-tying RBI single from Crawford with two outs in the ninth and Raleigh's go-ahead homer with automatic runner Eugenio Suárez on second base in the 10th.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and prevented a three-game sweep, pushing the Mariners to 12-16 on the season as they head to Oakland after an off-day on Monday. Adding to the day’s Canadian flavor, Kingston, Ontario, native Matt Brash picked up his first career save on his home soil.

“There’s something about this place,” Brash said, alluding to last postseason. “I don't know what it is, but we always play good ball here. And these two teams, I mean, I feel like every game is super close. Just a really good win for us.”

No, the stakes weren't nearly as high as last October, when a loss after falling behind seven runs in Game 2 would’ve set up a winner-take-all contest the next day. But given where Seattle stands in what’s been a mostly frustrating season, it’s the type of victory that the club can help galvanize it into more consistency.

The most alarming stat in the first month of the season is that the Mariners haven’t looked at all like themselves, having lost more one-run games (nine) than any other team after leading MLB in such victories each of the past two seasons. Before Crawford ripped a high-and-in fastball into right for the tie, scoring Tommy La Stella after a critical walk, the Mariners looked like they were headed for another such defeat -- even after showing late fight.

“This is Mariners baseball at its finest right here,” Crawford said. “Obviously, we've been losing these close games, a couple of games back and stuff hasn't been going our way. But it's a full circle, and we'll get back to how we are.”

Raleigh called upon the issues after Friday’s loss, saying, “It’s our job to kind of turn the tide and kind of make our own luck.” Call it luck, perseverance or familiarity with late-innings magic last year, the Mariners manifested it after being on their way to what would’ve been one of their more difficult losses.

Less than 30 minutes after the first career grand slam from Trammell, who was activated off the 10-day IL ahead of first pitch, the Mariners were behind.

Marco Gonzales surrendered a two-run double to red-hot Matt Chapman in the first inning and then a 460-foot homer to Bo Bichette in the second. But the runs on Bichette’s three-run blast were unearned after an error by first baseman Sam Haggerty, and it also might’ve been prevented had second baseman Kolten Wong completed a double play on a 63.5 mph throw to first that allowed Santiago Espinal to reach instead of ending the inning.

Gonzales also surrendered three in the third, all with two outs, but he was again victim of a defensive shortcoming, when Haggerty bobbled a scoop on a 78.7 mph heave from Crawford just after Seattle’s shortstop made a remarkable play that nearly nabbed Chapman.

But some offensive persistence and seven scoreless innings from the bullpen were the comeback formula -- a familiar one.

“Everybody chipped in,” manager Scott Servais said. “Really a team effort and a game that we needed to win. And when you're down like we were, it's easy to pack it in and say, 'Hey, it's not our time up here in Toronto.' But our guys didn't do that.”

Just as they were quick not to point to tough losses being the sign of a spiral, they’re also cognizant that as good as Sunday was, it’s only one. But perhaps it will be a spark.

“That's how we're built,” Servais said. “We just haven't seen it yet. But hopefully today is the start of some good things to come.”