Blue Jays break out the bats to rout O’s, 13-3
TORONTO — Curtis Granderson had a single, two doubles and a three-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays routed the Baltimore Orioles, 13-3, in American
League baseball action Sunday afternoon.
The 37-year-old Granderson set a career high with six runs batted in to help Toronto (30-35) complete a four-game sweep of the Orioles.
Granderson has had multiple five RBI games in his 14-year career, with the last coming on April 22, 2016, when his New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.
The win, coupled with Tampa Bay’s 5-4 loss to Seattle on Sunday, moved the Blue Jays ahead of the Rays for third in the AL East. Toronto starts a three-game series in Tampa, Fla., on Monday.
Kendrys Morales, Teoscar Hernandez and Kevin Pillar also hit home runs as the Blue Jays had a season-high 19 hits.
Marco Estrada (3-6) was superb, striking out nine over six-plus innings, allowing two solo home runs.
Joe Biagini gave up a run in one inning of relief and Tim Mayza had two scoreless innings of work.
Trey Mancini and Jonathan Schoop each had homers as Baltimore (19-45) lost its fourth straight.
Alex Cobb (2-8) struggled over 3 2/3 innings, giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits, striking out five. Pedro Araujo gave up four runs in his inning of relief, while Mike Wright Jr., and Darren O’Day combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Toronto was leading 3-1 when a rally in the fourth inning saw the Blue Jays score six more runs.
Randal Grichuk led off the fourth with a single, followed by a fluky hit by Gio Urshela that befuddled Schoop at second base and put runners at first and second with one out.
Granderson was up next, driving the ball over the right-field wall for a three-run shot and a 6-1 lead.
Yangervis Solarte hit a single and Hernandez followed with a base hit of his own before Morales grounded out. Pillar singled to shallow left field to cash in two more runs and extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 8-1.
Pillar’s RBI single chased Cobb from the game, but Araujo also struggled. He issued a walk to Russell Martin, bringing Grichuk up for the second time in the fourth.
Grichuk singled again, driving in Pillar for Toronto’s sixth and final run of the inning, all of them charged to Cobb.
Granderson earned his sixth RBI of the game with a double off the outfield wall in the fifth inning, plating Urshela for a 10-1 lead. He was brought in by Hernandez’s home run. After Morales flied out, Pillar came to the plate and hit his solo shot for a 13-1 lead.
Schoop led off the seventh with a solo shot to deep left field, ending Estrada’s outing with Biagini coming in from the bullpen. He gave up another run on a fielder’s choice to Jace Peterson.
In the second inning, Mancini teed off on a 2-1 Estrada pitch for Baltimore’s only lead of the game.
Granderson put the Blue Jays ahead in the bottom half of the second. His hit to left field dropped in front of a diving Mancini, scoring Grichuk and Urshela, as Granderson reached second base standing up.
Morales added to that lead with a solo home run in the third inning, putting a 92-miles per hour fastball to deep left field.
NOTES: Top Blue Jays prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was diagnosed with a strained patellar tendon in his left knee, the club announced on Sunday. He will be re-evaluated in a month.