Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Anthony Gose hit a two-out RBI single in the
bottom of the tenth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays rallied from an early
three-run deficit to down the Minnesota Twins, 6-5, Monday in the first of a
three-game set at Rogers Centre.
With Adeiny Hechavarria on second with two outs in the 10th, Gose hit a RBI
single back up the middle to cap the comeback, bringing in the winning run off
Minnesota reliever Brian Duensing (4-12).
The Blue Jays, who trailed 4-1 after five innings, tied the game at 5-5 when
Yan Gomes hit a 1-0 fastball off Glen Perkins with two outs in the bottom of
the ninth.
Brandon Lyon (4-0) picked up the win for the Blue Jays by pitching a
scoreless top of the 10th, although he had to work himself out of a bases-
loaded jam.
Adam Lind went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI and Jeff Mathis had a double
and knocked in two runs for Toronto, which has now won two of its last three
games.
Minnesota's Esmerling Vasquez, making his sixth career start, pitched well in
the no-decision, giving the Twins 5 2/3 innings and surrendering three runs on
six hits with one strikeout and three walks.
Aaron Laffey lasted five innings for Toronto, giving up four runs -- three
earned -- on eight hits. He struck out none and walked none.
Trevor Plouffe had two hits -- including a two-run homer -- and three RBI for
the Twins, while Jamey Carroll went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in
defeat.
The Blue Jays jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first. Rajai Davis began
the inning by hitting a single, then alertly tagged up and advanced to second
on Colby Rasmus' popup in foul territory that catcher Drew Butera had to lunge
into the Blue Jays' dugout to snag.
After Davis moved to third on a Brett Lawrie fly ball to center field, Lind
brought Davis home on a two-out single to right.
Minnesota came right back to take a 2-1 lead in the second, when Plouffe
hit his blast over the center field wall to also bring home Chris Parmelee,
who had been hit by a pitch to start the inning.
In the third, Carroll hit a stand-up double with one out off the left field
wall and later came home to score on Plouffe's two-out double down the third-
base line.
The Twins tacked on another run in the fifth, beginning with Carroll hitting
an infield single to the hole at short and moving up to second on
Hechavarria's throwing error. Carroll later scored when Joe Mauer hit a one-
out single to left field, making it a 4-1 game.
Toronto, however, pulled back within one after Vasquez loaded the bases in the
sixth, allowing a single and two walks to Blue Jays batters.
Although Vasquez got Hechavarria to hit a ground ball to Plouffe at third that
led to a force out at the plate, Mathis stroked a two-out double to left in
the next at-bat, bringing home Lind and Kelly Johnson to make it a 4-3 game.
But the Twins got their lead back to two in the seventh, when Ben Revere
singled, moved to second on a steal and then came around to score on a Carroll
single.
Toronto cut Minnesota's lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the frame, when Lind
doubled off lefty reliever Tyler Robinson to score Lawrie, who had earlier
reached on a two-out single off Alex Burnett, from first base.
Although Toronto stranded runners at first and third in the eighth, Gomes made
up for it the next inning, taking Perkins deep over the wall in left with two
outs to tie the game.
After Minnesota stranded the bases loaded in the 10th, Gose came to the plate
with one out in the bottom of the frame for Toronto and drove in Hechavarria,
who had reached on a single and moved to second on a wild pitch.
Game Notes
The Blue Jays are now 3-2 on the season against the Twins ... Plouffe now has
24 home runs on the season, making him the first Twins player to have 20 or
more homers in his first or second major league season since Marty Cordova won
the AL Rookie of the Year Award with 24 home runs in 1995 ... Minnesota's
Revere now has a career-high 40 steals on the season, having swiped second
base off Brett Cecil and Mathis in the seventh inning ... Mauer went 1-for-5
to drop his season average to .322, now seven points behind Detroit's Miguel
Cabrera for the AL lead.
The Sports Network