TORONTO - Home plate umpire Andy Fletcher's liberal strike zone had plenty of players shaking their heads Wednesday afternoon and no one was left more frustrated than Toronto Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan.
The big left-hander felt he had Miguel Cairo rung up on a 3-2 pitch for the final out of the ninth inning but didn't get the call, and Raul Ibanez followed the walk with a clutch RBI single that gave the Seattle Mariners a 2-1 victory.
Ryan, who was ejected for arguing balls and strikes after the Ibanez single along with manager John Gibbons, didn't speak to reporters after the game. But catcher Rod Barajas said that somewhere between his at-bat in the bottom of the eighth and the disheartening top of the ninth, Fletcher's zone tightened up.
''I felt like the second pitch to me was a ball off the plate and he called it a strike. That's fine, I'm OK with that,'' said Barajas. ''Then I see B.J. hit the same spot and it's called a ball. It's a little frustrating.
''What you don't like to see is the strike zone change and for me, from my at-bat to going behind the plate and working it seemed like it changed a little in the ninth.''
The latest punch-in-the-gut loss for the Blue Jays (34-34) dropped them back to .500 and sent them into their off-day Thursday with a sick feeling after dropping two of three to the lowly Mariners (24-42).
They must now regroup for the NL-Central leading Chicago Cubs, who arrive for three starting Friday to conclude a nine-game homestand. The Blue Jays are just 2-4 so far and will need to be at their best to avoid an even worse stint at home.
''It's been a grind for us,'' said Barajas, sporting a massive welt on his left side from a foul tip. ''We had our (4-5) West Coast trip and we've played a lot of games here in the first three months of the season. It's nice to rest these bodies, come back refreshed, try to put a good run on the board and make up some ground.''
The Blue Jays led 1-0 through six but still ended up losing for the eighth time in 11 games before a crowd of 35,702.
Ryan (1-3), who is 0-3 with one save in three chances and a 13.50 ERA over five June appearances, got into trouble with his one-out walk to Ichiro Suzuki. He bounced back to strike out Willie Bloomquist for out No. 2 before the disputed walk to Cairo.
Barajas felt three of the four balls in that at-bat were strikes.
''In that inning, the second pitch he called a strike,'' said Barajas. ''(Later) he threw three pitches to Cairo which I thought were pretty much in the exact location and he called all of those balls.''
Ibanez proceeded to line a 2-2 slider to right to score Suzuki with the winning run.
''I thought there were a couple of borderline pitches and apparently B.J. did too,'' said a glum Gibbons.
Brandon Morrow closed things out for his first career save in an eventful ninth, after all-star closer J.J. Putz left the game following a walk to Joe Inglett and with the count 1-2 to Vernon Wells with elbow soreness.
Morrow struck out Wells and Matt Stairs of Fredericton before Ibanez snared Lyle Overbay's drive to left against the wall for the final out to lock down Seattle's third win in 10 games.
Seattle also improved the AL's worst road record to 10-23 thanks to an outstanding effort from Felix Hernandez (5-5), who allowed a single run over eight dominant innings.
''Boy that kid was pitching,'' said Gibbons. ''He was lights out.''
Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum took a second straight no-decision despite seven outstanding innings in which he allowed just a single run while matching a season-high with nine strikeouts.
He missed out on a win in his last start, too, when the bullpen gave up a 4-0 lead in a 6-5 loss Friday to Baltimore, but this time, the shoddy offence deserved the blame.
Up 1-0, the Blue Jays wasted a chance to deliver a knockout punch in the sixth, when they put runners on second and third with one out, only to come up empty when Wells struck out and Stairs grounded out.
They paid for it in the seventh, when Yuniesky Betancourt's run-scoring triple with two outs tied the game 1-1.
The damage that inning might have been much worse if not for a brilliant defensive play by catcher Curtis Thigpen. After Jeremy Reed and Richie Sexson led off with singles, Kenji Johjima tried to sacrifice them over but instead popped up his bunt attempt. Thigpen ran out to catch it and then threw to second to double up Reed.
Betancourt tripled in the following at-bat.
That rally negated what little the Blue Jays managed against Hernandez.
Their only run came in the fourth, when Inglett led off with a double down the line and took third when right-fielder Reed bobbled the ball. After Wells struck out, Inglett scored on a groundout to second by Stairs.
NOTES: Alex Rios was given the day off after playing through back and groin pain Tuesday. Jays manager John Gibbons expects him to be fine for Friday's series opener with the Cubs. .. Gibbons also rested 3B Scott Rolen and Barajas, who pinch-hit in the eighth and struck out. .. Thigpen started behind the plate for the first time since being recalled from triple-A Syracuse on May 28. He'd caught just six innings prior to that. He'll be sent down Friday as long as Gregg Zaun (right elbow) comes out of his rehab stint OK. .. Reliever Jeremy Accardo (right forearm strain) pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday in his first rehab appearance for single-A Dunedin.