Bichette's solo homer, 4 RBIs not enough as Blue Jays fall to Castro-led Twins
Toronto's Kiermaier removed in 3rd inning with right lower back discomfort
Willi Castro had his first career multihomer game, Matt Wallner homered among his career-high four hits, and the Minnesota Twins held off the Toronto Blue Jays 9-7 on Saturday.
Edouard Julien also homered as part of a three-hit day, and Alex Kirilloff and Kyle Farmer each had two of Minnesota's 14 hits.
All but Castro have spent time in Triple-A St. Paul this season, although Farmer's was only a four-game rehab assignment.
Bo Bichette had three hits, including a home run for the second straight game, but the Blue Jays lost for the 10th time in 13 games. Daulton Varsho also went deep.
Castro and Wallner went back-to-back for Minnesota in the fifth, both clearing the fence by inches for a 7-4 lead.
Another one, thank you. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MNTwins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MNTwins</a> <a href="https://t.co/39i3Mhy8y5">pic.twitter.com/39i3Mhy8y5</a>
—@TwinsOn Castro's home run to centre field, Varsho raced back, leapt, and as he hit the wall, the ball bounced out of his glove, off the top of the padding and over for a two-run home run.
Two pitches later, Wallner's blast was headed toward the bullpens in left-centre. Racing over, Varsho leapt and reached over the wall to momentarily catch the ball with the webbing of his glove. However, the impact knocked the ball free as Varsho fell back to the warning track.
"It's just one of those things where it's an all-or-nothing play. It was in my glove and then I hit the wall and it bounced out. Both times. It's one of those things where you live and die by it," Varsho said.
It was the first home run this season for Wallner, who entered the game with one hit in 13 at-bats. Castro also homered in the seventh.
"Everyone's here because we have the talent to perform and help the team, and it's fun when you see everyone just doing their thing and helping the team win," said Minnesota starter Pablo Lopez (3-3). He allowed four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings before Jovani Moran and Jhoan Duran allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings.
Big Fly Biggio 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/qP2dnlqPpD">pic.twitter.com/qP2dnlqPpD</a>
—@BlueJaysJorge Lopez allowed Varsho's two-run homer as part of a three-run Blue Jays' ninth, but Brock Stewart retired three of final four hitters for his first save since June 20, 2017.
Chris Bassitt (5-4) allowed seven earned runs in four-plus innings for Toronto, his worst start since allowing nine earned runs to St. Louis in 3 1/3 innings April 2.
Julien, a Quebec native who represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic, homered in the eighth inning for Minnesota.
"To see all these flags in the stands and play against the team I grew up watching and dreamed of playing for, now to play against them and beat them is a pretty cool feeling," he said.
Bichette has an MLB-leading 22 multi-hit games this season. He entered the day tied with the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman for most in the majors. His 76 hits are also best in the big leagues.
