Blue Jays trades away more veteran pitchers
TORONTO 4 KANSAS CITY 1
KANSAS CITY — Bo Bichette’s first career homer helped lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals.
Bichette’s big moment came at the start of the eighth inning against Royals starter Jakob Junis, when his drive cleared the left-centre field wall in the 4-1 win on Wednesday. Freddy Galvis also hit a crucial solo shot to centre in the seventh that was his 16th homer of the season.
Bichette made his major league debut here Monday.
“After the first game was over, I was able to say, ‘OK, my career has started,’ and then treat it like any other normal day,” Bichette said. “He got me out on two sliders the first two at-bats and I made an adjustment and I hit it really hard.”
Galvis’ homer, which gave the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead, surprised Junis.
“He kind of dove out over the plate to get it and scooped it up and got it in the air,” Junis said. “I thought Bubba [Starling] might have a chance on the warning track or something but it just kept carrying out.”
Cavan Biggio followed Bichette’s homer with a double, ending Junis’ outing. Reliever Kevin McCarthy surrendered a run-scoring double to Teoscar Hernandez.
Rookie Jacob Waguespack (2-1) went six innings for his second win in his fourth big-league start. He held the Royals to three hits and one run. Cam Gallagher barely cleared the left-field bullpen fence for his second homer, drilling a 2-2 pitch from Waguespack to open the third inning.
Junis (6-10) was cruising for much of the game, retiring the side on eight pitches each in the second, third and fourth innings. But the Jays got even 1-1 in the sixth as Biggio walked, stole second and scored on Justin Smoak’s single.
“The first pitch [of the game] was probably the worst pitch in the seven innings that Junis threw — to Bichette was a fastball kind of high and over the middle of the plate and he hit the double down the line. But after that he was really good,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Waguespack got exceptional defensive help early. Deep outfield catches by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in left and Randal Grichuk in centre prevented extra-base hits by Jorge Soler in the first inning and Hunter Dozier in the third. Smoak speared Ryan O’Hearn’s hot shot to start a double play in the fourth and Gurriel charged in for a shoetop grab of Nicky Lopez’s weak liner to end the inning.
“I didn’t throw as many strikes as I wanted to but luckily the balls that were hit were at guys,” Waguespack said. “The defence did a heck of a job.”
Right after his last catch, however, Gurriel left the game with a sore right knee.
“Gurriel was out there making plays and sacrificed his body for me a couple of times,” Waguespack said.
Rookie right-hander Justin Shafer worked a perfect ninth for his first career save.