Blue Jays hit 3 homers in dominant win over Royals
Bichette, Guerrero, Espinal go deep; 5 Toronto pitchers combine on 2-hitter
Bo Bichette hit one of three Toronto home runs and five Blue Jays pitchers combined on a two-hitter in an 8-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
Ross Stripling (2-1) earned the win as he allowed just one hit over five innings, matching his season high. He struck out two and didn't walk a batter. Stripling pitched more than four innings for just the second time this season. Stripling, who made his sixth start, has been used out of the bullpen eight times.
Stripling was pleased with the result as well.
"Going into it I thought I was going to have four innings," he said. "I knew I would be in the 50- to 60-pitch range. I hadn't gone more than 35 in the last couple of weeks. I was able to go five innings. That was the priority: stay efficient and try not to put too much on the bullpen.
Bichette's home run was the first Toronto hit of the night after the game was delayed 2:05 because of weather.
We're up! We're up!<br><br>Literally and figuratively 😎 <a href="https://t.co/MIwnJMBFr7">pic.twitter.com/MIwnJMBFr7</a>
—@BlueJaysDaniel Lynch (2-5) took the loss. He allowed six runs on six hits, with two walks and four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Both managers were impressed with Stripling's effort.
"He set everything up for us," Montoyo said. "He was fun to watch tonight. He's done a great job wherever we needed him."
Kansas City manager Mike Matheny was impressed as well.
Both starting pitchers were efficient at the start of the game. Michael A. Taylor's one-out single in the bottom of the third inning was the first baserunner. Taylor had both of Kansas City's hits.
George Springer walked leading off the fourth for Toronto's first baserunner and he came around to score on Bichette's line drive home run to right centre.
The Blue Jays got another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Danny Jansen.
Vlad Guerrero Jr. lined the first pitch he saw in the sixth 423 feet over the fence in right centre. After Alejandro Kirk singled, Santiago Espinal hit the Blue Jays' third home run of the night, giving the Jays a 6-0 lead and ending Lynch's night.
The Blue Jays added an unearned run in the seventh on an RBI single by Teoscar Hernandez. They got their eighth run on a wild pitch in the eighth.
