TORONTO -- Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez does not need many breaks.

He proved on Friday night he is that good in pitching seven strong innings to earn the win as Seattle beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3.

"He was outstanding," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Left one slider and that was about it. He was pretty darn good; pretty impressive outing.

"Tonight he was very determined. The sinker was running all over the place. He had a real good changeup and the breaking ball was real sharp."

Right fielder Nelson Cruz backed Hernandez's performance with his 17th home run of the season.

The Blue Jays got a home run from first baseman Edwin Encarnacion in the first inning and a two-run homer by right fielder Chris Colabello against right-hander Fernando Rodney in the ninth to account for their runs.

But the game took a turn in the Mariners' favor in Seattle's three-run fourth inning. That is when, with Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada, proving to be a stubborn opponent, Hernandez got his break.

Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager started the rally with a cue shot down the third-base line that went for an infield single because Toronto had the shift on. It extended Seager's hitting streak to eight games.

Designated hitter Welington Castillo walked and first baseman Logan Morrison hit what should have been a single to right field, but Colabello turned it into a two-run triple with an ill-advised dive that was far short and the ball bounced past him toward the fences.

Catcher Mike Zunino followed with a double that put the Mariners ahead 3-1.

"Ideally, he plays it on the hop," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "But there's a tough pitcher in there and he's trying to make a play. I like everything about what he's been doing since he got here. He's given us a real big boost. I definitely understand what he was doing."

Colabello had three hits Friday and is batting .381 with two homers and nine RBIs in 17 games since he was brought up from Triple-A Buffalo.

"I wish I could have it back and realize that I wasn't going to catch it right away," Colabello said. "It was kind of a knuckleball -- it's not an excuse -- so the ball kind of sank on me there at the end. I really got to the point where I thought my best chance to stop it, rather than to get an in-between hop off the dirt, would be try to get the short hop on the dive."

"They got pitches to hit and they took advantage of them," McClendon said of the fourth-inning rally.

Hernandez (7-1) allowed four hits, two walks and one run while striking out eight in the opener of a three-game series.

"Every time I come here he hits a homer against me," Hernandez said of Encarnacion's 11th homer of the season and the seventh of the month. "It was a slider that stayed right in the middle of the plate."

"He was really good," Zunino said. "I thought he had all four pitches working really well. Just another great start from him."

Cruz hit his American League-leading homer of the season to lead off the sixth to increase the Mariners' lead to three runs.

"It's just one of those days," Estrada said. "Things didn't go my way. I thought I threw some good pitches, threw a good pitch to Cruz and the guy's strong. He's a good hitter. It was down and away, maybe even off the plate a little bit and it just shows you how good he is. Those things are going to happen."

Estrada (1-3) allowed six hits, three walks and four runs while striking out five in seven innings.

The Blue Jays (19-25) have lost three of the first five games of a 10-game homestand and have lost eight of their past 10. The Mariners have won eight of their past 13 games and are 2-2 on their road trip so far.

NOTES: Blue Jays INF Munenori Kawasaki started at second base on Friday night after being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo when 2B Devon Travis (left shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Sunday. ... Toronto SS Jose Reyes (cracked left rib) played the second game of his rehabilitation assignment Friday with Triple-A Buffalo. He was 1-for-4 Thursday. ... Blue Jays INF/OF Danny Valencia started at third base to allow 3B Josh Donaldson to rest a nagging calf injury. ... Mariners CF Austin Jackson (sprained right ankle) is likely to remain on his rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Tacoma at least through the weekend. ... Mariners 3B Kyle Seager played his 167th consecutive game, fourth among active major leaguers. He entered Friday's game batting .346 (18-for-52) with three homers and nine RBIs at Rogers Centre. ... LHP James Paxton (2-2, 3.59 ERA) starts for the Mariners on Saturday against Blue Jays LHP Mark Buehrle (5-3, 5.36).