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SEATTLE -- After weeks of mostly poor performances, Marco Estrada once again flirted with a no-hitter for Toronto.And just when the Blue Jays needed that quality of a performance.Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth -- an inning that ended on Kevin Pillars sliding catch to save a run -- but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases before Canos single.Estradas outing was exactly what the slumping Blue Jays needed. They arrived in Seattle having dropped two straight and four of six, and their wild-card lead dwindled in the process. Estrada was partly to blame for the September swoon. In his previous six starts, he was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.But he was brilliant against the Mariners, keeping the thousands of Blue Jays fans that made the trip south from British Columbia cheering all night as Toronto pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.Im not really sure whats been going on, as the game gets going I start to struggle a little bit, Estrada said. We looked at video and there have been little things here and there that we caught. We changed it up and felt pretty good today.Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.The final six outs were trying for the Blue Jays. Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs in the eighth, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-pitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.Closer Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osunas 34th save.We know whats ahead of us, and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. I thought our guys gave a really good effort tonight, just wasnt enough.Encarnacions two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.NEAR MISSESEstrada has never completed a no-hitter, but hes been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.Its not something that I was focused on. Obviously if it would have happened it would have been incredible but it didnt. Cano hit a pretty good pitch, Estrada said.DONALDSON TOSSEDTorontos Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroys face and was quickly tossed.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Bostons Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Angels. Cheap Mariners Jerseys China . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Cheap Mariners Jerseys . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. http://www.cheapmarinersjerseys.com/ . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Cheap Jay Buhner Jersey . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Javon Hargrave may be quietly putting together a noteworthy start to his rookie season.Hargrave was listed as the starting nose tackle when the Steelers released their first depth chart of the regular season. Hargrave is dealing with a quad injury, but if hes able to play in the opener Monday at Washington, he will be on track to become the third rookie to start on the defense in 15 years.Its a blessing, but at the same time, I still havent played yet, Hargrave said Wednesday. Its not really official yet. Im just taking it day by day, still getting better and trying to help the team.Hargrave, who beat out third-year defensive lineman Daniel McCullers for the starting spot, injured his quad in practice Monday, the same day he was promoted. Hargrave said the injury wasnt serious.I was a little nervous, Hargrave said. It couldve been worse, but Im blessed that it wasnt. Its a blessing anytime you can avoid an injury like that.Hargrave is trying to become the second rookie in three years to start on the Steelers defense. Linebacker Ryan Shazier started as a rookie in 2014 and Kendrell Bell did the same as an inside linebacker in 2001.I just feel like I come out and work hard to try and get better every day, Hargrave said. Im just doing things to help the team and take advantage of opportunities.The Steelers drafted the 6-foot-2, 305-pound Hargrave in the third round out of South Carolina State. Hargrave was dominant at the FCS level, where he was a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 15. He amassed 37 sacks in 47 games at South Carolina State, including 10 or more in each of his last two seasons.Defensive line coach John Mitchell called Hargrave a self-mmade man when the Steelers drafted him and was impressed by his power and quick first step.dddddddddddd The Steelers initially planned to use Hargrave in sub packages and as part of a line rotation, giving ends Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt a much-needed rest.But now it appears the rookie will be starting alongside the veteran defensive ends.Hes not a finished product, but hes growing, Heyward said. I think he understands his first skill is listening. If he can continue to grow and get better the sky is the limit for him.Heyward is most impressed by Hargraves resilience.He keeps bouncing back, Heyward said. He hasnt hit that wall where it seems like too much for him. Hes trying to grow every day and thats not easy, but you appreciate that. As a rookie, it can be very overwhelming at times, and it probably will be later down the road, but as of now, hes done a good job.Tuitt, in his third season, started just four games as a rookie. He realizes the difficulties of learning the Steelers defense.Every day at practice he wants to get better and he doesnt make the same mistake twice, Tuitt said. Hes just a hard worker and he bought into what we do on the defensive line.For the coaches to make the decision they made, they saw something in him that he was doing well.Game notes Heyward is progressing from a high-ankle sprain suffered in the preseason and said he `doesnt see any reason he cant be ready for Monday. . The Steelers signed former Tennessee Titans running back David Cobb to the practice squad and released running back Cameron Stingily.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '