Osuna booed in return to Rogers Centre

TORONTO • Roberto Osuna pitched the ninth inning to earn the save in his return to Rogers Centre, and the Houston Astros inched closer to securing the American League West by beating the Blue Jays 5-3 on Monday in the first game of Toronto’s final home series of the season.

Osuna, the former Blue Jays closer who was arrested in May and charged in connection with an alleged domestic incident, was met with a chorus of boos from the 23,463 fans when he was announced into the game — and as he threw each pitch.

He struck out a batter and worked around a one-out single to earn his 19th save of the season.

The 23-year-old righthander was suspended without pay for 75 games in June for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy and traded to Houston at the deadline a month later.

Some of Osuna’s former teammates greeted him on the field during batting practice with hugs and handshakes. Osuna’s court case is scheduled to continue Tuesday in Toronto.

Brian McCann and Josh Reddick homered for the Astros (99-57). Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and Yuli Gurriel, in his first pro game against his brother and Toronto shortstop Lourdes Gurriel Jr., also drove in runs.

The brotherly matchup didn’t last long — Lourdes left the game with left hamstring tightness after grounding into a double play in the first inning.

Dallas Keuchel (12-11) allowed three runs and seven hits while walking three and striking out five over five innings.

Marco Estrada (7-14), in likely his last home start in a Blue Jays uniform, allowed four runs and seven hits over 4 2/3 innings. The 35-yearold right-hander, who will become a free agent at the end of the season, also had a walk and a strikeout.

Kevin Pillar hit a two-run homer for the Blue Jays (7186) and Yangervis Solarte drove in one.

The defending World Series champion Astros came into Monday’s contest with a 4 1/2-game lead over Oakland in the AL West.

Yuli Gurriel plated the first run in the first inning, extending his hit streak to 10 games with an RBI single, and Houston hit back-toback solo shots in the second inning — one from McCann and another from Reddick — to bring the lead to 3-0.

Altuve hit an RBI single off Joe Biagini in the ninth.