GRAND DAY FOR GRANDERSON
Eighth-inning grand slam closes out Blue Jays’ rout of Royals
Blue Jays leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson runs into a welcoming committee led by Marcus Stroman after his eighth-inning, bases-clearing blast wrapped up a 15-5 win over Kansas City on Wednesday.
The bases were loaded when Curtis Granderson stepped into the batter’s box for his sixth plate appearance against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, but a grand slam wasn’t top of mind.
The 37-year-old veteran was more concerned with getting on base so the hitter behind him in the lineup, Teoscar Hernandez, could have another crack. The 24-year-old was a double away from hitting for the cycle.
The Blue Jays were already up by six runs in the bottom of the eighth,. They didn’t need more of a cushion. But that’s exactly what they got when Granderson cashed in Kevin Pillar, Aledmys Diaz and Luke Maile, locking up a 15-5 Blue Jays win and the team’s first series sweep since last July against Oakland. Toronto has won 12 of its first 17 games for the first time sixth 2009, and only the sixth time in club history.
“Any time you can help the team, no matter what the score happens to be, it’s always something positive, you want to take that and build on it,” Granderson said following the win.
That could be a tall task with the Jays headed to New York for four games against the Yankees, starting on Thursday. Winning, though, is infectious.
“I think everyone’s just having a good time and looking at everyone going, ‘Wow, he’s up there having a good time, but he’s also ready to hit,’ ” Granderson said.
“I think that part of it is the contagious side.”
Toronto’s season-high 15 runs went hand-in-hand with a season-high 15 hits. Only Randal Grichuk and Gift Ngoepe, who was eventually pulled for Maile, went without knocks, though Grichuk got on base twice through an error and being hit by a pitch.
The Jays went ahead in the first inning, when a one-out double by Justin Smoak cashed in Hernandez. The Royals stole back the lead in the third frame, with a two-out, two RBI double from third baseman Mike Moustakas. It was short-lived, though, after Kansas City’s right-handed Ian Kennedy surrendered home runs in the bottom of the inning to Hernandez and Yangervis Solarte.
Toronto added two runs in the fifth, three in the seventh and six in the eighth.
“We’re playing good baseball, bottom line,” manager John Gibbons said.
“Really doing everything well, so you ride that.”