OLD PALS
BLUE JAYS SPOIL EDWIN’S RETURN,
TORONTO — Marcus Stroman threw six shutout innings and Ryan Goins hit a tworun homer as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4-2, Monday night at Rogers Centre.
Goins went deep in the second inning and Justin Smoak drove in two more runs in the third as the Blue Jays (12-20) won for the third time in four games.
The Indians (17-14) scored two runs in the eighth inning before Roberto Osuna closed things out in the ninth for his fifth save.
Cleveland slugger Edwin Encarnacion received a standing ovation from the Rogers Centre baseball crowd of 40,014 in his first game back in Toronto since signing with the Indians in the off-season.
He led off the second inning with an infield single and Jose Ramirez followed with a single to right field, with Encarnacion taking a wide turn at second base as if he might test Jose Bautista’s arm.
Bautista threw a rocket to third base and the longtime friends both smiled after Encarnacion returned to the bag. After a line-out, Stroman escaped by getting Yandy Diaz to ground into an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom half, Toronto second baseman Devon Travis led off with a double and scored when Goins turned on a 2-2 pitch from Trevor Bauer (2-4) for a no-doubt blast inside the right-field foul pole.
The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the third after Kevin Pillar walked and moved to third on a double by Kendrys Morales. Smoak brought them home with a flare to shallow right field.
The game took two hours and 55 minutes.