SEATTLE -- Stopping losing streaks is a big part of Felix Hernandez's job description, and on Saturday night, the Seattle Mariners ace fulfilled his duty.

Hernandez bounced back from his worst outing of the season, and center fielder Austin Jackson provided the big hit with a seventh-inning home run as the Mariners snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

"That's my job," Hernandez said after allowing just two hits and one run over seven innings. "I'm their ace, and I'm supposed to go out there have the best game I can."

Hernandez (9-2) overcame some early control problems to keep the soft-hitting Mariners in a tight game before Jackson delivered the big blow with a tiebreaking solo shot.

In Hernandez's first start since giving up seven runs in a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Monday night, he threw 106 pitches, walked three and struck out six. Then he watched from the dugout as Jackson launched a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh to put the Mariners ahead 2-1.

"It's definitely a good feeling," Jackson said of getting the game-winning homer and ending Seattle's longest losing streak of the season. "We've got a long road ahead of us. Hopefully, this is one of many to come. ... We've been down a little bit, but hopefully this is the beginning of something."

Just as notable as Jackson's home run was who came out to pitch the top of the ninth inning in a save situation.

Carson Smith came in to a rousing ovation from the crowd and got his first career save with a perfect ninth. He retired the heart of Tampa Bay's order on 10 pitches, and afterward manager Lloyd McClendon said that struggling closer Fernando Rodney is getting a break from those duties.

"It's an opportunity to clean Fernando up and get some things fixed from a mechanics standpoint," McClendon said, adding that Smith, veteran right-hander Mark Lowe and left-hander Charlie Furbush all could see situational action as closer until the Mariners are ready to give Rodney another shot. "We'll see how it goes."

Rodney said after the game that he is healthy and didn't have any explanation for his recent struggles.

"Sometimes you try something you've been doing and it's not working," said Rodney, who is 14-for-17 in save chances this season and gave up a ninth-inning home run Friday night to see his season ERA swell to 6.94.

Tampa Bay (30-27) managed just three hits while having its four-game winning streak snapped. The Rays played their fourth consecutive games decided by one run, and they are 3-1 in that span. For the season, Tampa Bay is 8-10 in one-run games.

"(The Jackson home run) was basically the ballgame," Rays manager Kevin Cash said, "but we still did a lot of things really good."

The Mariners (25-31) took a 1-0 lead on shortstop Willie Bloomquist's RBI single in the fourth, and Tampa Bay tied the score on a Hernandez wild pitch in the sixth. Hernandez gave up a one-out triple to center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who then scored when Hernandez's 2-2 pitch to designated hitter Joey Butler went into the dirt and got by catcher Mike Zunino.

Tampa Bay starter Alex Colome allowed seven hits and one run over six innings. Rays reliever Steve Geltz (1-2) took the loss after serving up the Jackson home run in the seventh.

Bloomquist ended Seattle's streak of 16 innings of offensive futility in the fourth inning. He drove in the first Seattle run since the fifth inning of Thursday night's loss to the New York Yankees. During the scoreless streak, the Mariners were 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

The one run was all the Mariners would get in the fourth, despite having the bases loaded with one out. Second baseman Robinson Cano, who stranded six runners on base Friday in Seattle's 1-0 loss to the Rays, hit into a double play to end the threat.Top Game Performances