Tulowitzki homers twice as Blue Jays bats come alive in win over Oakland

TORONTO – Troy Tulowitzki homered twice and Josh Donaldson added a three-run shot as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated Oakland 9-3 Saturday afternoon, snapping the Athletics’ six-game win streak while ending their perfect road record.

Tulowitzki, who came into the game hitting just .150, notched the 12th multi-homer game of his career. The stylish shortstop, returning from a night off Friday to nurse a sore hip, also made his presence felt in the field with the Jays turning three double plays to aid the cause.

While the Toronto bats came alive, J.A. Happ delivered another solid pitching performance — in his 200th career appearance — to halt the Jays’ three-game slide before a sellout crowd of 46,334 at the Rogers Centre. The left-hander has gone at least six innings in his four starts, living up to the US$36 million, three-year deal he signed in the off-season.

Happ (3-0) gave up three runs on seven hits in seven innings, with one strikeout and one walk. Gavin Floyd closed it out for the Jays.

Ezequiel Carrera, who came into the game 4-for-6 against Oakland starter Chris Bassitt, continued his mastery over the right-hander with three singles and a ground-rule double in five at-bats for the first four-hit game of his career. He also made acrobatic diving catches in the fifth and ninth innings.

The Athletics had billed themselves as the Road Warriors, going 7-0 on their travels prior to Saturday to match the team’s best start away from home since an 8-0 run in 1990. But Toronto roughed up Bassitt (0-1) early, with two runs in the first and three in the second with Donaldson’s three-run blast dropping over the 400-foot mark in centre field.

Tulowitzki added solo shots in the fifth and seventh — his third and fourth of the season — around a Jose Bautista sacrifice fly in the sixth. Donaldson’s RBI single in the eighth made it 9-3.

Oakland, outhit 13-7 on the day, scored runs in the first, fourth and seventh.

Donaldson took his lumps at the plate. He was spiked in the fourth inning when catcher Josh Phegley stepped on his foot throwing to second. And former Jays teammate Liam Hendriks hit him in the thigh in the sixth.

Happ hit Khris Davis to open the bottom of the sixth, prompting umpire Chris Conroy to warn both teams to cease and desist.

Toronto, which led the major leagues with 891 runs last season (5.5 per game), came into the game ranked 12th in the majors with 70 (3.9 per game). The Jays also led the majors in strikeouts with 171, the most in franchise history at this time of the season.

Toronto ranked 23rd in batting average (.228). They were second last season at .269.

“It’s never as easy as we made it look last year,” manager John Gibbons said prior to the game.

Michael Saunders was given another day off to rest his hamstring with Carrera continuing in left field and the top of the batting order. Catcher Russell Martin returned, shrugging off a sore neck that cut his Friday night early.

Mark Canha homered for the Athletics for a 1-0 lead in the first, notching the 500th home run in the majors this season. It was Canha’s fourth hit — and third home run of the season.

The Jays scored two of their own in the inning, sending eight to the plate as Oakland infielders lost the handle on two hard hit balls. Bassitt escaped further damage, leaving the bases loaded in a 33-pitch inning that featured four singles, a walk and a wild pitch.

Donaldson upped the lead to 5-1 with his seventh homer of the season, matching his 2014 career high in April. It took the Jays third baseman 30 games to hit seven home runs last year, eventually finishing with 41 to win AL MVP honours.

It was Donaldson’s 28th homer in 89 home games with the Jays. He hit 27 in 193 home games with Oakland.

Bassitt was tagged for six runs on nine hits, facing 26 hitters in five difficult innings. The A’s pitcher arrived without a decision in his first three starts despite a 2.79 ERA. He has got two runs or less in support in each of those outings.

Former Jay Marc Rzepczynski also came on in relief for Oakland.

 

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