Kirk’s first homer lifts Blue Jays over Dodgers

Alejandro Kirk went 3-for-3 at the plate and hit his first home run of the season to lead the Toronto Blue Jays past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-1, on Sunday to snap a five-game losing skid.

Daulton Varsho and Isiah KinerFalefa had back-to-back groundouts in the second inning to score runners for Toronto (14-15) before Kirk hit his first homer of the season 381 feet.

Kevin Gausman (1-3) allowed one run and five hits while striking out five across seven innings in his best performance of the season.

He didn’t issue a single walk and saw his fastball reach 96 m.p.h. in a return to form for the 2023 CY Young runner-up after a shaky start to the year.

Canadian-American first baseman Freddie Freeman had a home run in the sixth inning as Los Angeles (18-12) had its six-game win streak snapped.

Toronto avoided being swept in the three-game interleague series. The Blue Jays have earned at least one win in every one of their series so far this season.

Having lain dormant for most of the weekend series, the Blue Jays’ bats came alive in the bottom of the second thanks to some uncharacteristically effective hitting with runners in scoring position from the bottom half of the lineup.

After Justin Turner and Davis Schneider found their respective ways home, Kirk’s solo shot to deep right field put Toronto up 3-0. That home run would also spell the end of starter Michael Grove’s afternoon.

Despite loading the bases in the bottom of the eighth, L.A. couldn’t solve the duo of Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza, setting the stage for Jordan Romano to close out the game with a scoreless ninth.