TORONTO — Randy Arozarena’s bat will always get the primary attention and understandably so considering his spot in the middle of the Mariners batting order.

He came up with another clutch two-out hit to score a pair of runs on Sunday that proved to be vital, for example.

Defense will never be Arozarena’s forte. But at times he can come up with an big play or two in left field that makes a difference.

So while his two-run single provided the Mariners some early cushion, it was a defensive play Arozarena made in the second inning that ended up being critical in Seattle’s 8-3 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

With starter Luis Castillo laboring and the bases loaded in the second inning, Andrés Giménez sliced a drive down the left-field line where Arozarena disappeared from view. It took the call of third base umpire Malachi Moore and television replays to see that Arozarena had slid along the left-field line and made a terrific catch while banging into the wall to end the inning.

If that ball finds the turf, at least two runs score and the entire afternoon has a different feel for Seattle.

Instead, the Mariners won their second straight road series after also taking two of three in Cincinnati. They got another leadoff homer from Dylan Moore, his second of the road trip. Cal Raleigh clubbed his ninth of the season to move into a tie for the major league lead in homers, and his seventh in the regular season all time in Toronto.

And of course, Rowdy Tellez had to homer again. With his buddy Xander sitting in the front row next to the Mariners dugout, Tellez hit a pinch-hit two-run shot in the seventh inning to give the M’s an 8-3 lead. Tellez homered in every game of the series — a solo shot on Friday, a grand slam on Saturday and Sunday’s long ball — the first time in his career homering in three straight games.

And he’s now homered in four of the five games Xander has come to see him play. Maybe Tellez was right when he said after Saturday’s grand slam, “He knows every time he shows up I hit a homer.”

Maybe the Mariners need to find a spot on the charter plane for Xander at this rate.

Arozarena’s catch gave Castillo the opportunity to get through the fifth inning on an afternoon where he was battered around. During one stretch, Castillo allowed six consecutive hits with exit velocities of 103.5 mph or higher. Like Logan Gilbert on Saturday, the Blue Jays made Castillo work and he needed 102 pitches to get through five innings.

Arozarena’s catch was one big moment for Castillo. So was retiring the middle of the Blue Jays order in succession after giving up a leadoff double to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the fourth inning.

Castillo (2-2) allowed 10 hits and struck out five, but limited the damage to just three runs. It’s the fourth time in his career Castillo has allowed 10 hits in a start, but the first time earning a victory.

Collin Snider was brilliant in the sixth inning needing only five pitches to retire Bo Bichette, Guerrero and Anthony Santander, and Tellez’s homer gave the M’s enough cushion that the bullpen could have a less stressful afternoon for a change.

It was just the second time the M’s have won a game by more than two runs that didn’t go to extra innings.

Arozarena also came through with a big swing in the second inning when he converted a bases-loaded situation with a two-out RBI single and improved to 5 for 8 with 11 RBIs this season with two outs and runners in scoring position. Mitch Garver followed with his first RBI of the season on a bouncing single and ended the day for Toronto starter Easton Lucas.

The Mariners probably would have liked to see Lucas stay in the game as reliever Paxton Schultz threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in his major league debut. The Mariners ended up striking out 18 times, which on this day they’ll be glad is getting overshadowed.

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