The Toronto third baseman, who made a cameo appearance on the History television show Vikings earlier this year, smacked three home runs off three different pitchers in front of 47,444 delighted fans at the Rogers Centre to lead the AL East-leading Blue Jays to a 9-6 victory over the Twins – the Jays’ second straight comeback win. Josh Donaldson walked with one out in the sixth and scored on Encarnacion’s 36th home runs of the season, cutting the Twins’ lead to 5-3.Bo Schultz allowed a walk and Plouffe’s ninth home run of the season in the seventh as the Twins bumped their lead to 7-3.The Blue Jays scored three in the bottom of the seventh to trim the lead to 7-6.Pillar led off with a single and was forced at second by Upton.
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Josh Donaldson holds 140 hits with 105 runs, 33 homers and 91 RBI. “Though it’s extremely frustrating while you’re out there because you’re doing everything in your power to keep your team in the game”.
“We scored over 20 runs in three games and couldn’t find a way to win one”, Molitor said.
Edwin Encarnacion homered and had three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who trailed 5-0 and 7-3 before handing the Twins their ninth straight loss.
“You can start to see it at the beginning of this home stand, he was just missing some pitches, he just skied a couple breaking balls”, said Toronto manager John Gibbons. “He’s capable of that, we have a few guys who are capable of doing something like that, it’s a rare feat”.
Saunders replied with an RBI double to right field in the bottom half of the inning, driving Encarnacion home from first.
Dozier singled and scored on a wild pitch by Marcus Stroman in the first, singled again in the third, then hit a two-run double in Minnesota’s four-run fourth. Following Donaldson’s third homer of the day and fifth in four games, hats poured onto the field.
Excelsior! Hats! Hats for the hat trick!
“I’ve never had a curtain call before so that was nice”.
Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey allowed six hits, three walks and five runs (three earned) in six innings.
How we all feel after that come-from-behind win!
Twins starter Kyle Gibson allowed eight hits, three walks and four runs while striking out one in 5 1/3 innings. Troy Tulowitzki also got in on the action, hitting his 22nd home run of the season and going 2-for-4. Bautista led off with a double to left-centre, a ball that either Minnesota outfielder Robbie Grossman (left) or Danny Santana (centre) should have caught.
Toronto has won consecutive games in which it has allowed seven or more runs. Upton followed with a triple past a diving Max Kepler in shallow right.
Santana finished the inning but was replaced by Eddie Rosario in the second.
Donaldson made up for his ninth error of the season nearly immediately, smoking a Gibson offering into the second deck in left in the bottom half.
Just like that the Blue Jays had come back from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Twins 8-7.
The Twins will not only be trying to avoid the sweep on Sunday but trying to end a losing streak that has reached nine games. Miguel Sano hit a two-run single.
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Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo bashed his 40th home run of the season. Kevin Pillar doubled and scored on a single by Travis.
