Toronto Blue Jays End Three-Game Skid with 9-3 Win Over the A’s
The Toronto Blue Jays picked up a desperately needed win over the Oakland Athletics, thanks to four RBIs from Josh Donaldson and two homers by Troy Tulowitzki.
Josh Donaldson launched his AL-leading seventh home run of the season and picked up four RBIs, at the Toronto Blue Jays secured a much-needed win over the Oakland Athletics in front of 46,334 people at the Rogers Centre on Saturday afternoon.
The reigning MVP knocked a three-run shot to centre field in the bottom of the second and added a RBI single in the eighth, as 2015’s number once offence began to show signs it will up to its potential again.
Troy Tulowitkzi finally started to show his is getting out of his early season funk by going 3-for-4 with two home runs, while Ezequiel Carrera had a big game with four hits, three runs and a stolen base while batting leadoff for Michael Saunders, who was nursing a hamstring injury.
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J.A. Happ picked up his third win of the season after pitching seven innings and allowing three earned runs on seven hits. It was only the second time in his last 12 outings he allowed more than two earned runs
Oakland’s Mark Canha took a 2-0 count and shot it over the fight field wall in the top of the first inning, his third home run of the season and only his fourth hit. The Athletics (10-8) could only manage to score two other runs, snapping their six game winning streak and losing their first game to a team in the American League East this season.
Chris Bassitt picked up his first loss of the season, allowing six earned runs, on nine hits, while walking two and striking out five.
After a disappointing start to the 2016 season, the Rogers Centre filled with boos after Canha put the Athletics up by one to start the game. The run was the first, first-inning run Happ had given up in his last seven starts.
The Blue Jays responded in the bottom of the first after Jose Bautista grounded out to score Ezequiel Carrer. Then, Justin Smoak walked, while Tulowitzki and Russell Martin both hit infield singles to put the Blue Jays up 2-1.
Toronto’s offence continued to roll in the bottom of the second as Carrera doubled to centre, putting runners at second and third. Donaldson stepped up to the plate and blasted a three-run home run over the centre field wall to put the Blue Jays up comfortably 5-1.
Happ rebounded after letting a run score in the first and put up zeros in the second and third inning.
In the top of the fourth, Happ got himself into some trouble after letting the first two batters reach on singles. After he got Khris Davis to ground into a double-play, Coco Crisp singled past a diving Donaldson to score Jed Lowrie and put the Athletics to within three.
Tulowitzki’s home runs in the fifth and seventh inning put the game out of reach, as the Blue Jays climbed to within one game of .500.
Tempers started to flare in the bottom of the sixth when ex-Blue Jay Liam Hendricks hit Donaldson with a man on third. Subsequently, in the top of the seventh Happ beaned Davis to start the inning and home plate umpire, Chris Conroy immediately came out to issue a warning to both teams.
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The ninth inning was capped off as Carrera flew through the air to make his second highlight reel, diving catch of the game.