Brandon Morrow Hits the Brakes on Toronto Blue Jays' Losing Streak

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow had a stellar game on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners, ending the Jays' four-game losing streak.

Morrow struck out nine Seattle batters, which is a season high for him. He had complete control of the mound giving Seattle no real opportunities to pose a threat.

Facing his former team, Morrow subdued and shut down the Mariners for a 7-0 win. His 2012 record now stands at 2-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.03.

Morrow's fastball and his slider dominated the Mariners' lineup; he gave up only five hits. Seattle was unable to capitalize on any of the hits that they got off of him in six innings that he pitched.

Morrow threw 66 strikes out of 104 pitches in six innings. Manager John Farrell was happy with Morrow's performance and didn't mind the high pitch count since he was so effective.

Farrell said to MLB.com:

"

He has this capability every time he steps to the mound. When you combine a well-above-average fastball with the command that he showed today in addition to three other off-speed pitches, he has the ability to not only take over the game, but dominate the opposition.

"

Morrow's hugely successful outing was bolstered by the strong offense and defense that backed him by the Blue Jays.

Solid defense and run support, such as Edwin Encarnacion's eighth inning grand slam, gave Morrow a ton of breathing room to pitch confidently.

A strong offensive and defensive game like this one should give Toronto a morale boost and get them back on track after the four-game losing streak.