Blue Jays squander Lead, win in Extra Innings
Justin Smoak #14 of the Toronto Blue Jays is congratulated by Troy Tulowitzki #2 after he hit a home run against the Oakland Athletics in the second inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on June 7, 2017 in Oakland, California.
(June 7, 2017 - Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)
The Toronto Blue Jays (29-31) squander an early lead but go on to win at the Oakland A’s (26-33) 7-5 in extra innings to avoid a series sweep.
The A’s took an early lead in the first inning. CF Rajai Davis hit a leadoff double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch with two outs. DH Khris Davis followed with a double and drove in Rajai Davis for the first run of the game.
The Blue Jays responded in style in the second. 1B Justin Smoak tied the game with a leadoff home run. It was his 16th long ball of the season. With two outs LF Chris Coghlan drew a walk and 2B Ryan Goins hit a single. CF Kevin Pillar homered next and put Toronto up 4-1. It was his eighth home run of the year.
It took Oakland’s SP Jharel Cotton 36 pitches to end the inning. His pitch count went up to 55 at this point.
The A’s cut the deficit to two runs in the third inning. Rajai Davis led off with a single and RF Chad Pinder reached on a fielding error by SS Troy Tulowitzki. 2B Jed Lowrie hit into fielder’s choice next (Chad Pinder out at second base) and moved Rajai Davis to third base. Khris Davis followed with another hit into fielder’s choice and once again drove Rajai Davis home for Oakland’s second run of the game.
Oakland made it a one-run game in the fourth with 3B Trevor Plouffe’s leadoff home run. It was his seventh long ball of the season.
The A’s got the tying run in fifth inning. Rajai Davis led off with a triple and Chad Pinder hit a sacrifice fly ball to drive in Rajai Davis for a score of 4-4.
Toronto’s SP Francisco Liriano pitched 5 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk and 3 earned runs while fanning 5. He now has a 5.87 ERA with a 1.75 WHIP on the year.
Jharel Cotton put in a strong performance after a rough second inning. He gave up 4 hits, 4 walks and 4 earned runs and struck out 4 batters in 6 innings of work. He now posts a 5.20 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP this season.
The Blue Jays found their scoring ways again in the 10th inning. Leadoff man Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch and 3B Josh Donaldson followed with his seventh home run of the year to give Toronto a 6-4 lead. With two outs Justin Smoak hit his second home run of the game and his 17th of the season.
CL Roberto Osuna surrendered a two-out double to Rajai Davis and a single to RF Matt Joyce, resulting in a run for Oakland, but managed to earn his 14th save of the year. His ERA and WHIP increased to 3.04 and 0.89, respectively.
Justin Smoak went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs. He is batting .291 and has 35 runs, 17 HR and 42 RBI in 2017.
The Toronto Blue Jays continue their road trip with a three-game series at the Seattle Mariners (29-30) from Friday to Sunday.
The Oakland A’s travel to the Tampa Bay Rays (29-31) to play a three-game series from Friday through Sunday.
