TORONTO – Shohei Ohtani’s two-run triple was part of a five-run second inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a six-game losing streak with a 12-0 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
The Angels (53-73) won for just the second time in 11 games, while Toronto (68-56) lost for only the second time in nine outings.
The Blue Jays returned home from their successful 6-1, eight-day trip to New York and Boston at 4:30 a.m. on Friday.
They did not take batting practice and arrived home with an overworked bullpen after two extra-inning games in Boston.
To make matters worse, right-fielder Teoscar Hernandez departed after two innings with a left foot contusion before 40,754 at Rogers Centre.
He fell to the ground in the batter’s box in the first inning after fouling a pitch off his foot.
In the second inning, the Angels scored two runs on a double off the left-field fence from David Fletcher with the bases loaded. Ohtani then smacked a double off the fence in left field.
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Hernandez was in position to make the catch but stopped running. The ball landed 10 feet to his right.
Angels shortstop Andrew Velazquez increased the visitor’s lead by drilling a two-run homer, his seventh, to right field in the third inning.
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Blue Jays starter Mitch White (1-4) lasted five innings and was responsible for seven runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Struggling Blue Jays lefty Yusei Kikuchi relieved White and struck out six in three innings. But he yielded a solo blast to left field from Jo Adell in the seventh inning and a two-run shot from Mike Trout in the eighth for his 27th.
Toronto managed only four hits off Angels starter Reid Demers (5-4). He went 5 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking three Blue Jays.
Blue Jays infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield pitched the ninth and gave up a two-run shot to Adell.
Merrifield left the bases loaded in the sixth inning, grounding out to Velazquez. Santiago Espinal flew out to centre with the bases loaded in the eighth.
Interim Blue Jays manager John Schneider reported George Springer might return to centre field in “the next few days.”
Since his return from the disabled list nine games ago, he has been the designated hitter, going 18-for-36 (. 500) with a 1-for-4 outing on Friday.
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When Danny Jansen smacked his 10th homer in the sixth inning at Fenway Park on Thursday, he and Alejandro Kirk (12 homers) became only the fourth catching duo in Blue Jays history to each belt 10-or-more homers in a season.
The others were: Buck Martinez (10) and Ernie Whitt (11) in 1982 and 1983 with 10 and 17 round-trippers, respectively. Bengie Molina (19) and Gregg Zaun (12) also accomplished the feat in 2006.
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Alek Manoah (12-6) makes his 25th start for Toronto in 2022, taking on Ohtani (10-8) in the second outing of the three-game set.
The 1992 Blue Jays World Series championship team members will be honoured with a pre-game ceremony to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2022.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
