With a couple of off days in the coming two weeks, along with a recently instituted six-man rotation (from the usual five), the Blue Jays have plenty of options on how to organize things in order to ensure additional rest for Sanchez.
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Russell Martin hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning, Aaron Sanchez pitched seven innings to get his first win in his last three starts and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Astros 4-2 Saturday, stopping Houston’s winning streak at four.
“It’s amusing how one trade (Troy Tulowitzki), with a good team and going after it (David Price, etc.) with one trade deadline seemed to really turn them all around”, Halladay said. He has allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of his past seven starts.
“I’ve been feeling good lately”, he said. Stroman has a loss and two no-decisions in his previous three starts.
Toronto has 166 home runs this season, second to Baltimore.
Houston had tied the game an inning later on a Stroman throwing mistake, his third error over his past two starts, and Mike Fiers struck out the side in the bottom of that frame and had an easy third, before some less than stellar Astros defence gave the Jays a 2-1 lead in the fourth that the team only increased from there.
Conversely, with Jose Bautista (who is now on the disabled for the second time this season after another mishap in the outfield) and 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion (who leads the Majors in Runs Batted In) still unsigned beyond 2016, the Blue Jays’ best window of opportunity to win it all closes following the current season.
RHP Marcus Stroman allowed five hits and two runs (one earned) in 6 1/3 innings Sunday in the Blue Jays’ 9-2 victory over the Astros.
Fiers has surrendered five home runs in his past two outings.
There was slugging: Edward Encarnacion’s American League-best-tying 33rd of the campaign, Troy Tulowitzki’s 20th (giving the team four players with at least 20), which was followed by Russell Martin’s 10th. “We kind of had to mix it up a little bit, throw some more breaking balls and some off-speed”.
ROYALS 11, TWINS 4: Paulo Orlando and Lorenzo Cain each got four hits and drove in three runs as Kansas City won its first road series since late June.
The 24-year-old right-hander made the necessary changes holding the Astros scoreless in the following six innings as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated Houston 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Mired in a 1-for-20 slump, Martin took James Hoyt’s 3-2 slider over the wall in centre field for his ninth home run of the season, erasing a 2-1 deficit.
“They slapped three balls to right field in a hurry, ” Sanchez said.
Houston added another run for a 5-2 lead in the sixth when centre-fielder Teoscar Hernandez, in his Major League Baseball debut, cracked a solo shot to left. Travis singled to load the bases with one out. Travis grounded out to end the inning.
“It means a lot, obviously”, said Osuna. After retiring 8 in a row, McHugh gave up back-to-back 1-out singles to Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders. “(Hoyt) made one bad pitch and it cost us three runs”.
“Replay helps us more than it hurts us, but that’s where I wish they would have taken away replay for a day, ” manager A.J. Hinch said. Neither Reed nor the police officer was injured, and both laughed off the incident.
Blue Jays: OF Ezequiel Carrera (left Achilles) went 0 for 4 and struck out three times in a rehab game at Triple-A Buffalo.
Toronto (67-51) is a season-best 16 games above.500.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Collin McHugh throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first …
The big right-hander, a two-time Cy Young Award victor, was either the best, or second-best pitcher in team history, depending on how one feels about Dave Stieb, but never made the playoffs during his dozen seasons in Toronto, despite going 148-76 with a 3.43 ERA.
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Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (8-5, 4.76) took the loss in an August 1 start at Houston despite allowing one run in seven innings.
