Pinch-hitting Smoak on fire in ninth
Jays first baseman hits grand slam to cap a five-run inning
Justin Smoak hit a ninth-inning grand slam to give the Blue Jays a 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
It was a bright spot in a busy day for Toronto, which traded third baseman Josh Donaldson around the seventh inning of the contest, a move that was first reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
It was likely a tough result to swallow for Miami starter Dan Straily, who worked eight innings, giving up one run on four hits, walking one and striking out four. Straily outlasted Jays starter Aaron Sanchez, who worked 41⁄3 innings in his second start since returning from the 60-day disabled list with a finger contusion. Sanchez gave up five runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out two.
The Marlins, who outhit Toronto 12-8, built a 5-0 lead early, scoring three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. Their No. 3 to No. 7 hitters — J.T. Realmuto, Derek Dietrich, Sterling Castro, J.T. Riddle and Austin Dean — each drove in a run.
But it was Smoak and the Jays who had the last laugh. Toronto entered the ninth inning down 5-1, but loaded the bases off reliever Derek Steckenrider on a Kendrys Morales single, a Randal Grichuk walk and a Danny Jansen single. Devon Travis brought the game within three runs with a bases-loaded walk off reliever Kyle Barraclough before Smoak, pinch-hitting for Biagini, hit his 22nd home run of the season. It was the first go-ahead, game-winning, pinch-hit grand slam in Jays history.
Ken Giles allowed a couple of runners in the bottom of the inning before converting his 24th consecutive save chance. That’s the longest active streak in the majors.
Sanchez didn’t give up a hit his first time through the Miami lineup but surrendered four in the fourth inning. He gave up a double to Brian Anderson to lead off the inning and one-out singles to Dietrich, Castro and Riddle. A Dean groundout gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead.
The Marlins added another two runs the next inning on four straight hits — another Anderson double and singles by Realmuto, Dietrich and Castro — before Sanchez was replaced by Danny Barnes.
Barnes, Murphy Smith, Tim Mayza and Joe Biagini gave up three hits and one walk between them, closing out the game for the Jays.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s sacrifice fly in the sixth brought in Granderson for the Jays’ first run. Granderson singled while pinch-hitting for Barnes, and advanced to third on a Billy McKinney double. McKinney had three hits and is now hitting .395 in 12 games with the Jays.