SEATTLE (Interstat) — Dylan Cease pitched seven dominant innings and the Toronto Blue Jays used a two-run third inning to defeat the Seattle Mariners 2-0 on Friday night at T-Mobile Park in front of 45,391 fans.

The game lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes.

Cease improved to 5-4 on the season, allowing three hits and no earned runs while striking out nine batters and walking one. He retired the side in order in the first, second and fifth innings and never allowed a runner past second base.

Louis Varland earned his 18th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one and allowing one hit.

Luis Castillo took the loss for Seattle, dropping to 3-7. Castillo worked six innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts and one walk.

Toronto’s offense broke through in the third inning. Sean Keys led off with a single to center field off Castillo. Andrés Giménez followed with a double to center, scoring Keys for the game’s first run. Nathan Lukes sacrificed Giménez to third, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to right field to drive in Giménez, giving Toronto a 2-0 lead.

That proved to be all the support Cease needed. The Mariners managed only one hit through the first two innings and left two runners on base in the third inning, when Cole Young singled and Victor Robles singled, but Colt Emerson grounded into a double play to end the threat.

Seattle’s best chance came in the sixth inning when J.P. Crawford doubled with one out. But Cease struck out Randy Arozarena on a foul tip and got Dominic Canzone to fly out to right field.

The Mariners mounted a brief rally in the ninth inning against Varland. Canzone singled with one out and Cal Raleigh struck out swinging. Pinch-runner Weston Wilson advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Josh Naylor grounded into a force out at second base to end the game.

Toronto’s defense committed no errors, while Seattle made two fielding miscues that did not lead to runs.

Keys finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Giménez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and an RBI. Guerrero Jr. was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

For Seattle, Crawford doubled and walked, and Young and Robles each singled. The Mariners finished with four hits, all singles except Crawford’s double.

The Blue Jays improved to 42-46, while the Mariners fell to 45-44.

Cease’s outing came after a rough start in his previous appearance June 27 against Texas, when he allowed four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings in a 7-4 loss. He rebounded June 22 with a win over Houston, tossing 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball.

Toronto’s win snapped a two-game losing streak. The Blue Jays had lost 3-2 to the Mets on Tuesday before being shut out 3-0 on Wednesday, then bounced back with a 9-3 victory over New York on Wednesday. The win Friday was Toronto’s second in their last seven games.

Seattle entered the game having won three consecutive series, including a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. The Mariners had won five of their previous six games before Friday’s loss.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday at T-Mobile Park before Toronto travels to San Francisco for a three-game set beginning Monday. The Blue Jays then visit San Diego for three games July 10-12 before returning home to face the Chicago White Sox on July 17.

Seattle heads to Miami for three games July 7-9, then to Tampa Bay for three games July 10-12, then returns home to host the San Francisco Giants on July 17.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Seattle Mariners 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Seattle with a 53.20 percent probability to win. Toronto had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 7.