Toronto’s potent offense pounded the ball almost every time Drew Hutchison was pitching last season. But with Colabello suspended, expect Smoak to become the everday starter at first and be a serviceable replacement.
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Josh Donaldson homered and drove in four runs while Troy Tulowitzki slammed two solo shots in a 13-hit attack that snapped the Jays’ three-game losing streak before a sellout crowd of 46,334 at the Rogers Centre. But Toronto roughed up Chris Bassitt 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. Proof: The Blue Jays are averaging 3.8 runs per game this year after averaging 5.5 last year and leading the majors in runs scored by over 100.
The Players Choice Awards are presented by the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation of MLB players, and Donaldson’s awards came with $70,000 for him to distribute.
A three-game series starting Monday against the visiting Chicago White Sox will be another good test, he suggested. “The A’s loaded the bases with one out in the third but Sanchez worked out of the jam. The Blue Jays” first hit of the game was Barney’s first homer of the season.
Happ (3-0) gave up three runs on seven hits in seven innings, with one strikeout and one walk in his 200th career appearance.
“I’m definitely playing him tomorrow, I can guarantee that”, Gibbons said. “They made some good swings on some really good pitches, nearly like they knew they were coming”.
Still sore over his demotion to the minors at the end of spring training, Hutchison wasn’t interested in assessing the offensive support he’s regularly received.
Adding, tersely: “I’m not where I would like to be, I think that’s obvious”. “If you make mistakes here, they make you pay for it. I felt like today I was more in the glove than I was in my first couple of starts”. The club’s closer, Roberto Osuna, pitched a clean ninth, striking out Coghlan for the final out to pick up his sixth save.
“Obviously we’re frustrated but we’re 4-2 on this road trip and we’re looking to finish it above”.
“That sixth inning was the game”, Vogt said.
Oakland Athletics’ Yonder Alonso gets out as he slides his way to the base while Toronto Blue Jays’ Darwin Barney, right, throws to turn the double play during fifth inning AL baseball action in Toronto on Sunday, April 24, 2016. It was more than he had allowed in any of his three previous starts this season, and more than any other Oakland starter has given up in a game thus far.
Surkamp’s vulnerable outing Sunday leaves open the question of whether the A’s make a move in his rotation spot. “You’re not going to hold us down for ever”.
Surkamp agreed the fourth pitch of the Carrera at-bat probably was a strike, but he didn’t use it as an excuse, saying “I had a few more pitches after that”.
“It’s a tough lineup for him there, a lot of right-handed hitters with some power”, Melvin said.
Bautista snapped a 0-for-11 slump when he connected off Surkamp in the fourth for his fourth home run.
The only blemishes on his afternoon were solo homers by Khris Davis, in the second, and Josh Reddick, in the sixth. The left-hander improved to 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA in eight career games against Oakland. Tyler Ladendorf started for Oakland.
The Blue Jays are expected to option Hutchison back to the triple-A Buffalo Bisons immediately after the game, where he will remain the next available starter should the need arise.
Chris Bassitt and Surkamp (0-2) each surrendered six earned runs Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
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Can the Toronto Blue Jays develop back-to-back wins when they host the Oakland Athletics today at 1:07PM ET? A day earlier, Chris Bassitt made it through five innings, also giving up nine hits and six runs.
