A ballgame the Toronto Blue Jays led by seven runs at one point was down to just a single run, but Toronto managed to hold on and secure a 7-6 win against the Houston Astros.
All seven runs Toronto scored came within the first four innings, starting with Justin Turner scoring Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a single in the first. Turner reached base three times in the game, including two walks, and now has hits in eight of his last nine games.
Toronto went with the long ball to score four runs in the third, as Spencer Horwitz went deep to right-field, then a few batters later, George Springer hit a three-run bomb, as Toronto went up by five. Springer is now hitting .500 in his last seven games, with four home runs during that span.
Toronto added two more runs in the fourth off an Ernie Clement double, and the most important run of the game came from a passed ball by César Salazar, allowing Alejandro Kirk to steal a run, scoring from 3rd base, giving Toronto a 7-0 lead, despite the Jays losing a key bat in their offence.
Utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa went on the 10-day IL with a left knee sprain, according to the Blue Jays. In place of Kiner-Falefa, Toronto called up their number 5 prospect, Leo Jimenez.
In 57 games with Triple-A Buffalo this year, Jimenez is hitting .272, with seven home runs and a .847 OPS. Jimenez likely will make his MLB debut later in the series.
All seven runs Toronto put up came off Astros SP Spencer Arrighetti has struggled in his first year as a big leaguer, posting a 5.68 ERA in 2024. Arrighetti showed promise in his previous start against the Colorado Rockies, going a career-high 7.0 innings and striking out 10.
Arrighetti wouldn’t find much of the same success in Toronto, surrendering two home runs and allowing six earned runs over 4.0 innings, which is now the second time this season he’s allowed at least six earned runs.
Blue Jays SP José Berríos had been getting through the Astros lineup pretty well through 4.0 innings, only allowing any base runners to reach first.
All of that momentum by José Berríos was lost in the fifth inning, as Houston scored five runs off the RHP.
Salazar brought home the first run, hitting a single before Jose Altuve would do the same, and Houston quickly had two runs.
Houston’s best hitter, Yordan Álvarez, once again flexed his muscle in the series, hitting a three-run bomb off Berríos as Toronto’s lead was down to two runs. Even crazier was Berríos located the pitch on the corner, exactly where Alejandro Kirk wanted it, and yet Álvarez hit it out.
Overall, Berríos, in 5.0 innings, allowed five earned runs on five hits, only striking out one batter. It’s his second time over his last three starts surrendering five earned runs.
Álvarez would be a part of Houston scoring their sixth run on the game in the eighth, scoring on a groundout from Jake Meyers to make it 7-6 Toronto.
Luckily for Toronto, Chad Green shut the door in the ninth, securing the victory, as Toronto remains 8.0 games out of a playoff spot.
Making the start for Toronto tomorrow is SP Yusei Kikuchi in what is likely an audition for other MLB teams. Kikuchi has been linked to being traded before the trade deadline and could be a good four-starter or long reliever for a contending team. In his career against the Astros, Kikuchi hasn’t faired well, posting a 6.27 ERA in 13 appearances.
