Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Liriano pitched better than his line. He and Michael Saunders are just the second pair of Canadian teammates to hit 10 or more homers for the same team in one season.
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For Osuna, it was his 26th save of the year and the 46th of his career, tying the Major League Baseball record for most saves before a player’s 22nd birthday, matching Terry Forster’s mark.
Most impressively, just before the Altuve at-bat, Martin had made a spectacular play, crashing into the protective barrier and going onto his back almost into the Astros dugout to corral a pop fly after Joaquin Benoit had given up two hard singles in a row. “Their offense is pretty potent when it gets going”. Martin followed with his 10th homer of the season and second in two games to put Toronto ahead 5-1.Left-hander Tony Sipp replaced Fiers. The veteran shortstop finished the day 3 for 4 with three runs batted in. It was the seventh time this season Toronto has hit consecutive home runs.
“First-pitch changeup”, Fiers said. “It seemed like he was sitting on it”.
“For a catcher, that’s as good an opportunity you’re going to get to make a nice play”, Martin said.
The Blue Jays had 12 hits as they scored nine runs for the first time since scoring the same total against the Baltimore Orioles on July 30, winning a battle of the Majors’ two best teams since May 31. It was McHugh’s fourth straight loss. Altuve has reached safely in 43 straight road games.
“They never let up”, Hinch said of the Blue Jays.
This pitching matchup is an interesting one for one reason: I’ve always thought Stroman was a typically Houston-esque starting pitcher. The eight strikeouts were tied for Stroman’s third-most this season and perhaps more importantly, he did not walk a batter for only the third time all year (though he did drill first basemen Miguel Gonzalez on the knee early on, forcing him to leave the game).
In the third, Encarnacion was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Fiers. He doubled and scored in the fifth, then homered in the seventh. He allowed two runs and five hits.
“They made me pay in that one inning”, Fiers said.
“The game turned on a dime with one swing, ” Hinch said.
On the other side, the Blue Jays will be sending out RHP Marcus Stroman on Sunday. Dave Stieb and former Cy Young award winners Pat Hentgen and Roy Halladay all threw out ceremonial first pitches. The first to do it were Corey Koskie (25) and Justin Morneau (19) for Minnesota in 2004.
Astros: OF Jake Marisnick (right groin) missed his fourth straight game. Houston is off Monday. Houston LHP Dallas Keuchel (7-11, 4.56 ERA) will face St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia (9-8, 3.93 ERA) on Tuesday in the opener. Keuchel pitched a three-hitter against Texas on August 5.
This will be game three of the set. Dickey has a 7.61 ERA in his past five starts.
Houston’s Jose Altuve had two hits, a double and a triple, giving him 997 for his career.
That big blow brought in three runs and provided the Blue Jays with a 4-2 lead.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jason Grilli reacts after striking out Houston Astros’ A.J. Reed to end the top of the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Toronto.
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Blue Jays fans would have been wise to enjoy Aaron Sanchez on the mound while he was making his 23rd start of the season against the pesky Houston Astros at the Rogers Centre on Saturday.
