In the seventh he hit a go-ahead, two-run blast off Pat Light, and in the eighth he crushed a solo shot to dead center off Alex Wimmers. Fans threw hats on the field after Donaldson’s third homer in the eighth inning for the Jays, who completed the three-game sweep.
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The Rogers Centre faithful celebrated the milestone hit with chants of “MVP, MVP” and by throwing hats onto the field (the baseball version of a hat trick). Encarnacion hit his 36th homer and leads the AL with 105 RBIs.
It was a roller-coaster type day for Donaldson.
METS 12, PHILLIES 1: Yoenis Cespedes hit a three-run homer, Kelly Johnson had a pinch-hit grand slam and host NY won its sixth in seven games. Joe Mauer walked to fill the bases.
Dominick Depole is the Toronto Blue Jays Writer at Outside Pitch MLB. Kepler and Minnesota centre-fielder Eddie Rosario couldn’t even get the ball out of right field before Upton crossed home. The third baseman’s 31 {+s} t homer of the year gave the Jays a 2-1 lead. “The ball might sneak through for a (hit)”.
The Twins (49-80) scored a run in the first. Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion also homered Saturday to improve his series totals to four RBIs and as many runs scored heading into a clash with Sunday starter Kyle Gibson, against whom he has also went deep in a small career sample size.TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), TVA Sports, Sportsnet (Toronto) PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kyle Gibson (5-8, 5.09 ERA) vs.
Donaldson made a throwing error in the top of the third that contributed to the Twins’ first run, but he made up for that with a line-drive home run in the bottom half of the inning, smacking a 92 miles per hour, four-seam fastball by Gibson over the left field fence into the second deck for a 2-1 Toronto lead. That’s his game. Stroman’s record fell to 9-6, with a 4.58 ERA, but his confidence remains unbroken. Trevor Plouffe hit an RBI single and took second on a passed ball.
Plouffe lead off the fourth for the Twins with a walk and then moved to third on a single by Eddie Rosario and scored on a Miguel Sano single.
The Blue Jays lost two of three games to the Angels after losing two of three to the Indians last weekend in Cleveland. Kevin Pillar slashed a one-out double to left, bringing Upton to the plate. Bautista took third when Donaldson flied out to center.
“It’s one of those things, as a baseball player, you want to happen one day”, Donaldson said.
The reigning American League MVP now has 33 home runs on the season, good for fourth place in the American League and seven shy of last season’s total. With two out and two on in the same inning, Saturday’s hero, Upton Jr. smacked a double from reliever J.T. Chargois to score Tulowitzki and Pillar, making the score 8-5 Jays.
“We scored over 20 runs in three games and couldn’t find a way to win one”, manager Paul Molitor said.
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Toronto hits the road tomorrow to begin some key divisional play beginning with a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles.
