Espinal’s three-run ninth-inning blast not enough as Jays fall 8-6 to Twins
TORONTO — A Santiago Espinal three-run ninth-inning blast to go along with earlier solo pictures from George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Matt Chapman fell brief within the Toronto Blue Jays’ 8-6 rubber-match loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Espinal’s one-out homer gave the Blue Jays (31-22) their twenty second round-tripper of their final 11 video games. However 4 batters later, Bo Bichette grounded out to 3rd to finish the sport, leaving runners on first and third.
Minnesota leadoff hitter Luis Arraez belted 4 singles to guide the Twins’ 16-hit assault as Minnesota received two of three video games.
Trevor Larnach launched a solo shot within the seventh, and Gary Sanchez smashed a two-run homer within the eighth to help a powerful 4 innings from starter Devin Smeltzer earlier than 34,088 at Rogers Centre.
Making his fifth begin this season, Smeltzer (3-0) gave up two homers however solely 4 hits. To finish the primary and to start the third inning, he obtained six ground-ball outs, together with a double play to flee the primary inning.
The American League Central-leading Twins (32-24) roughed up Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman (5-4) within the first two innings.
Gausman gave up singles to Arraez and Sanchez in a 31-pitch first inning. Arraez scored when Toronto’s Teoscar Hernandez muffed a fly ball within the swirling right-field winds.
Sanchez then scored on Gio Urshela’s floor ball to Bichette. Polanco touched dwelling plate on Jose Miranda’s single to centre for a 3-0 lead.
Hernandez did throw out Miranda on his race to 3rd base when Gilberto Celestino singled to proper.
Springer smacked his eleventh homer down the left-field line within the backside of the primary, however the Twins pushed in two extra runs within the second inning.
Nick Gordon led off with a triple and scored on Jermaine Palacios’s single to proper. Palacios touched dwelling three batters in a while Jorge Polanco’s infield hit down the third-base line.
Kirk smacked his fourth homer in 5 video games into the second deck down the left-field line with two out within the fourth inning.
After Larnach made it 6-2 within the seventh with a homer to proper, Chapman smashed his one-out shot to left within the backside of the inning.
Gausman surrendered 9 hits with three strikeouts and a stroll earlier than giving solution to a sequence of Toronto relievers.
Sanchez’s two-run homer within the eighth got here off Blue Jays pitcher Jeremy Beasley with two out.
STREAK INTACT
Though the Twins scored 5 runs in Gausman’s 3 ⅔ innings, solely three had been unearned due to Hernandez’s first-inning error. The Blue Jays right-hander has but to yield greater than three earned runs in his 11 begins.
SPRINGING AHEAD
Springer’s homer was his seventh leadoff round-tripper of the season, surpassing Devon White’s membership document of six in 1991.
COMING UP
The Blue Jays hit the street for a three-game set towards the Kansas Metropolis Royals and a three-game sequence towards the Detroit Tigers.
On Monday, right-hander Ross Stripling (1-1, 4.22 ERA) will begin for the Blue Jays within the opener towards Kansas Metropolis lefty Daniel Lynch (2-4, 4.81 ERA).
Toronto’s Alek Manoah (6-1, 1.98 ERA) and Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 3.91 ERA) are slated to pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed June 5, 2022.
Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
