Estrada’s gem puts Blue Jays back in WC tie

SEATTLE — Marco Estrada allowed one hit over seven-plus innings and Edwin Encarnacion supplied the punch with a two-run homer as the Blue Jays opened a critical three-game series at Safeco Field with a 3-2 victory over the Mariners on Monday night.

The win pulled the Blue Jays back into a tie with the Orioles for the two American League Wild Card spots, with both teams 82-68 after Baltimore lost to Boston, 5-2. Seattle fell three games back at 79-71, tied with Houston a half-game behind idle Detroit, with 12 games remaining.

With a largely pro-Blue Jays crowd making the two-hour trek down from British Columbia to supply a playoff-type atmosphere, Estrada had a no-hitter for six innings before Robinson Cano’s leadoff single in the seventh. The 33-year-old Estrada walked three and struck out eight while evening his record at 9-9 with a 3.62 ERA.

“It means the world just to pull off a win, regardless of what happened with me. It’s something we needed,” Estrada said. “We struggled the last two days and hopefully we start turning it around, but it means a lot to get a win as a team.

“Honestly I think the biggest key was that I was able to throw the changeup for strikes. I was around the plate with it and I had a lot of swings on it. I need guys to swing at it and try to make contact with it. For the most part, I was getting weak contact with it.”

• Estrada steps up in playoff-like atmosphere

The Mariners narrowed the gap in the ninth with a two-out, two-run homer by Leonys Martin off closer Roberto Osuna before Osuna struck out Ben Gamel for his 34th save.

Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker, who threw a three-hit shutout against the Angels in his last start, gave up five hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings as he fell to 6-11 with a 4.32 ERA.

“We’ve got to keep playing,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “That’s what the schedule says, and that’s what we’ll do. That’s what we’ve done all along. If I’m not mistaken, we play the same team tomorrow, and they happen to be ahead of us. So tomorrow will be a good game. We’ll get after it.”

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDEarly wake-up call: Walker struck out the first two Blue Jays batters in the first inning before Encarnacion scorched a line drive up the middle that glanced off his left biceps and ended up in right-center field for a base hit. The ball had an exit velocity of 103 mph, according to Statcast™, and Walker was fortunate to escape serious damage. After a quick visit from manager Scott Servais and trainer Rob Nodine, Walker stayed in and immediately walked Jose Bautista on four pitches. But he got out of …

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