Blue Jays hit 4 homers to out-slug Chisox

Toronto 11, Chicago White Sox 9

CHICAGO — The Toronto Blue Jays got the ball up in the air and then they got out of town with a good feeling in the last game before the All-Star break.

The Blue Jays, who’d lost 8 of their previous 12, hit four homers Sunday to end the Chicago White Sox’s five-game winning streak with an 11-9 victory.

Colby Rasmus and Edwin Encarnacion had two-run homers in the first and Kelly Johnson and Jeff Mathis also connected on a windy day at U.S. Cellular Field when Chicago pitching yielded nine walks

“We had a very good offensive day. High number of walks,” manager John Farrell said as his team headed for four days off with a 43-43 record.

“First inning we put together, both Colby, who continues to swing the bat well, Eddie with another big home run for us. We needed every run we could put on the board the way this turned out.”

The first-place White Sox got a three-run homer from Alex Rios and kept pecking away, but couldn’t overcome the four-run first-inning deficit and go the All-Star break with a 47-38 record and a three-game lead in the AL Central.

Chicago manager Robin Ventura was ejected in the top of the ninth after charging to the plate to heatedly argue a ball and strike call with home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn.

“Yeah he had to let him know. Had to let him know,” Rios said of Ventura’s ejection. Ventura had argued in the sixth when Jose Bautista hit a ball past third that was touched by a fan for a ground rule double. Umpires ruled that a running Rasmus, who’d been on first, was allowed to score on the play.

Ventura was not available to comment after the game because he had to catch a flight for the break — something that was announced before the game.

Jason Frasor (1-1), the third of five Blue Jays’ relievers, was credited with the win and Casey Janssen pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his 12th save in 13 chances. He gave up two ninth-inning singles before striking out Alejandro De Aza to end it.

“I was just telling the trainers, five outs seems like forever. I got used to getting three. It was all right,” Janssen said. “I’ve obviously done it before in my career, it was just a little different than the last month or so.”