Jays go for record-tying 10th straight home win vs. Giants
The Blue Jays clinched the series win with a 6-3 victory on Saturday and have won seven of their past eight series at home.
The last time Toronto won nine games in a row at home was in 2015. The longest home winning streak in franchise history is 10 in 1985.
The Blue Jays are 34-16 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto this season.
The Giants hope former Blue Jays pitcher Robbie Ray (9-3, 2.65 ERA) can salvage the series finale on Sunday and end their four-game losing streak. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in three career starts against the Blue Jays. Ray won the American League Cy Young Award when he was with Toronto in 2021.
Right-hander Jose Berrios (5-4, 3.75) is Toronto's scheduled starter for Sunday. He gave up two runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings and got the win in his only start against the Giants, in 2017.
The Blue Jays continued to get contributions from the bottom of the lineup on Saturday. Ernie Clement had an RBI single, Will Wagner had a two-run double for the second game in a row and Tyler Heineman had an RBI double and a two-run home run.
"That's huge when the bottom of the order can get it done," Clement said. "It takes a lot of pressure off the top. That's our job."
"When you know you're hitting 7-8-9, whatever it is, the tendency is to kind of chase results," Toronto manager John Schneider said. "And the guys aren't doing that. You have to have nine players trying to be the starter. ... We've stressed that from the get-go this year, and they have embraced it."
The Giants scored for the first time in the series -- they were shut out 4-0 in the series opener -- when Willy Adames homered with one out in the fifth against left-hander Eric Lauer, who had been perfect until that point. Adames also homered in the seventh against Chad Green.
The first homer by Adames was the first run of the game. San Francisco added a run in the top of the sixth before Toronto answered with four in the bottom of the inning against Logan Webb.
"At the moment it felt great, like maybe it could start something going for the team," Adames said. "But, unfortunately, we couldn't back (Webb) up. It's been a little tough, obviously, to start after the break 0-2. Not the greatest, but we have a really good group here and I know we're going to click sooner than later and play better baseball."
Webb was not pleased.
"It's the second time in a row I've given up four runs in the sixth inning, so I have to figure something out," he said.
The Blue Jays outhit the Giants 14-4 on Saturday. San Francisco had two hits against Lauer and two more against right-handed relievers. Left-hander Brendon Little pitched a perfect eighth.
"We've struggled with lefties all year," Giants manager Bob Melvin said. "It has been a little better the last month or so, but it's been a sore spot for us."
The Giants are 10-17 against left-handed starters.
"We have not done enough against lefties," Melvin said.
In the series against the Blue Jays, the Giants have not done enough against anyone. Giants' hitters have struck out 21 times and have not walked.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
'I'm a rookie again': Ichiro Suzuki leads class of five into Hall of Fame
July 27 - COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - On an overcast Sunday in this charming village, thousands of fans from the Far East to the East Coast, from Texas to the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, gathered to usher five icons of the game into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. And they heard heartfelt tales from -- and about -- the inductees: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, as well as Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were honored posthumously. Despite the star power of the group, the man of the hour was Suzuki, 51, who became the first baseball player to be elected to two Halls of Fame, following his selection into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in January. He had a nine-year career in Japan before he was posted for availability to MLB teams after the 2000 season and signed by the Seattle Mariners to launch a splendid second career. "For the third time, I am a rookie," said Suzuki, who delivered his speech in English after using an interpreter most of his career. "In 1992, I was drafted out of high school (in Japan). In 2001, I became a rookie again at 27 when the Seattle Mariners signed me. "I realize I'm a rookie again ... I am 51 years old, so easy on the hazing." Suzuki mixed a sharp sense of humor with a serious tone in discussing what made him a Hall of Famer: preparation, taking responsibility for his game and feeling a sense of duty to give his all for fans. He cared for his own equipment, unwilling to blame an equipment manager if his glove weren't perfectly laced or his spikes not ready to run the bases. His arm was always in shape when he reported to spring training. "If you consistently do the little things, there's no limit to what you can achieve," said Suzuki, who won two American League batting titles and both the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001. Suzuki said he never envisioned playing in the United States until he saw Hideo Nomo pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers on television in Japan. "My eyes suddenly opened to the idea of challenging myself by going somewhere I never imagined," he said to a crowd that included fans from Japan. "I'm grateful to the Seattle Mariners for believing I could become the first position player from Japan." Fans of Sabathia had a much shorter distance to travel, whether from his first MLB home in Cleveland, his brief one in Milwaukee or his final one with the New York Yankees. Sabathia's speech was a love letter to the women in his life, including to his grandmother, who allowed him to take the grapefruits that fell off her tree in the yard and throw them at a chair -- his strike zone. To his mother, who used to put on the gear to catch his pitches, took him to Athletics games at the Oakland Coliseum and talked pitch selection with him when he got to the majors. And to his wife, whom he met as a high school junior and has been with since. And he talked with passion about the places he played. "I was born and raised in Vallejo," the Northern California native said. "But Cleveland is where I grew up." It was in New York that Sabathia burnished his Hall of Fame resume, leading the majors in wins in 2009 and 2010, and he called signing with the Yankees "the best decision we ever made." Suzuki and Sabathia, 45, were elected in their first years of eligibility. Wagner, the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year in 1999 with the Houston Astros, entered the Hall of Fame on his 10th and final ballot. Wagner was born a right-hander who learned to throw left-handed after a childhood injury to his right arm. He told his underdog story, from being a small kid from Virginia who went from a "5-foot-nothing, 100-pound nothing to the Hall of Fame." It was perseverance and passion that got him from Division III Ferrum College to Cooperstown, he said. "I refused to give up," said an emotional Wagner, 54. "I refused to listen to the outside critics. ... Perseverance isn't just a trait. It's a path to greatness." Parker and Allen, both seven-time All-Stars and recipients of Most Valuable Player awards, were selected for induction by the Classic Era Committee. Parker passed away on June 28 at age 74, six months after learning of his long-awaited entry into the hall. Allen was 78 at his death in 2020. David Parker II, Parker's son, and Allen's widow, Willa, reflected in their speeches just what baseball meant to their loved ones and what this day would have meant to them. The younger Parker took the crowd through the journey of his father's career, through the six major league cities in which he played. He became a legend in Pittsburgh, where he won two batting titles and his first World Series, learning from cornerstones of the franchise -- Roberto Clemente, Al Oliver and Dock Ellis -- about being a major leaguer. And as he proceeded in his career through his hometown of Cincinnati, through Oakland, Milwaukee, Anaheim and Toronto, Parker transitioned to "Pops," helping to guide the next generation, including fellow Hall of Fame members Barry Larkin, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. "He cherished his role as a spiritual father to these young men," David Parker II said. As Parker struggled with his health in his final months, he wrote a poem that summed up his thoughts about his career and his induction, read by his son to the crowd filled with fans in "Parker 39" jerseys. The poem hilariously started, "Here I am. 39. About damn time." Allen, famous for swinging a 42-inch bat, was described by his widow as a heavyweight as a player, a man and a friend in the warm stories she told of him. He was a man of "principle, compassion and determination," Willa Allen said. That determination was evident as a child, when a teacher in his small-town Pennsylvania school asked her pupils what they wanted to be when they grew up. He confidently told the class he wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. That was before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. The other kids laughed. "He didn't laugh. He believed it," Willa Allen said. "Now look at him." Looking ahead to 2026, there likely won't be any first-year eligible players selected. Carlos Beltran, who was named on 70.3 percent of ballots in 2025, and Andruw Jones, selected on 66.2 percent, could hear their names called next year. Both are members of the 400-home run club, and Jones won 10 Gold Glove awards. --Jami Farkas, Field Level Media
Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Mike Trout reaches 1,000 career RBIs as Angels top Mariners
July 27 - Mike Trout hit a two-run homer to reach the 1,000-RBI milestone in his career and the Los Angeles Angels earned a split of their four-game series against the Seattle Mariners with a 4-1 victory on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif. Trout's 443-foot home run in the fifth inning off Logan Gilbert landed halfway up the batter's eye in dead center and was the 397th of his career, passing Joe Carter for 62nd place on the all-time home run list. Trout, who entered the game with 999 career RBIs, became the third player in Angels franchise history to top 1,000 in his career, joining Garret Anderson (1,292) and Tim Salmon (1,016). Kyle Hendricks (6-7) picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits in six-plus innings. He walked one and struck out three while improving to 4-1 in his last five decisions. Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 18th save of the season and the 465th of his career. Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 41st home run and Josh Naylor singled and had two stolen bases for Seattle, which finished with just two hits. Raleigh tied Todd Hundley (1996) for the most home runs in a season by a switch-hitting catcher in major league history. Gilbert (3-4), who retired the first 11 batters he faced, allowed four runs on three hits and three walks in five innings while striking out seven. Trout's home run capped a four-run fifth inning for the Angels, who took advantage of Gilbert's wildness. Travis d'Arnaud and Luis Rengifo opened the inning with back-to-back walks and Gustavo Campero, who had squared around to sacrifice, was then hit in the foot to load the bases. Kevin Newman drove in d'Arnaud with a fielder's choice, and Rengifo scored on a wild pitch when Gilbert spiked a splitter in front of the plate to make it 2-0. One out later, Trout smashed his 19th homer. Raleigh led off the seventh with a 421-foot homer to center, his third homer in five games. --Field Level Media
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Bubba Wallace wins Brickyard 400 to become Indy's first Black winner
Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval, surviving a late rain delay, two overtimes, concerns over running out of fuel and a hard-charging Kyle Larson on Sunday in the Brickyard 400. The third NASCAR Cup victory of Wallace's career was also his biggest. It snapped a 100-race winless streak that dated to 2022 at Kansas. He also won at Talladega in 2021. It's his first win at one of NASCAR's four crown jewel races. 'Unbelievable,' Wallace shouted on his radio after crossing the yard of bricks. And while the final gap was 0.222 seconds, he didn't reach victory lane without some consternation. Larson trailed by 5.057 seconds with 14 laps to go but the gap was down to about three seconds with six remaining when the yellow flag came out because of rain. The cars rolled to a stop on pit lane with four to go, giving Wallace about 20 additional minutes to think and rethink his restart strategy. But after beating Larson through the second turn, a crash behind the leaders forced a second overtime, extending the race even more laps as Wallace's team thought he might run out of gas. Wallace risked everything by staying on the track then beat the defending race winner off the restart again to prevent Larson from becoming the fourth back-to-back winner of the Brickyard. It also alleviated the frustration Wallace felt Saturday when he spent most of the qualifying session on the provisional pole only to see Chase Briscoe surpass with one of the last runs in the session. He made sure there was no repeat Sunday, giving an added boost to the 23XI Racing co-owned by basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and last week's race winner, Denny Hamlin, as it continues to battle NASCAR in court over its charter status. ___
