TORONTO – Starting pitcher JP Sears stopped Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 22-game hitting streak as the Oakland Athletics defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 on Sunday.
Guerrero hit a ground ball to shortstop in the first inning, flew out to right field in the fourth inning and hit a ground ball in the seventh and eighth innings that resulted in a double play. The last at-bat was against Oakland relief pitcher Michel Otanez.
The Blue Jays batter equalized his career-high hit streak with a single in the first inning on Saturday.
Sears (10-8) allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
He left the field after Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider drew two consecutive walks to start the eighth, and later scored on George Springer’s single against Otanez in a three-run Toronto rally.
Daulton Varsho ended Sears’ no-hit effort with a one-out home run down the right field line, his 14th, and the Athletics (50-69) won the series 2-1 over the Blue Jays (54-64).
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Sears was the first 10-game winner for Oakland since four starters, including current Blue Jay Chris Bassitt, reached that mark in 2021.
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Bassitt (9-11) faced Sears in front of 38,797 fans at the Rogers Centre. The Toronto starter fell behind early after a six-run first inning in which JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof hit two-run home runs.
Bassitt lasted only four innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits, walks, one hit batter and five strikeouts.
The Athletics sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning. Lawrence Butler hit a leadoff double down the right field line.
He scored on Brent Rooker’s infield hit when Jays first baseman Horwitz executed a hasty behind-the-back flip that sailed over the head of Bassitt, who was covering first base.
After Bleday and Gelof each hit two-run home runs, Butler was at bat for a second time, hitting Daz Cameron with a single to left.
Butler hit another single to left for his third hit in the fourth inning and later scored on Bleday’s third RBI.
Bleday, Butler and Gelof had three of the Athletics’ 12 goals.
The Athletics scored another run in the sixth inning with a double into the left field corner, scored by Max Schümann.
Varsho also hit a single in the seventh inning, and Luis De Los Santos got his first career hit, an infield hit, in the sixth inning and scored a run on a double for his first RBI in the ninth inning.
VOTTO CLOCK
Joey Votto has played nine games for Triple-A Buffalo and is attempting to return to Major League Baseball with the Blue Jays after an ankle injury in spring training.
The Etobicoke, Ontario native went 4-for-19 with one home run, three RBIs, four walks and ten strikeouts.
Votto, who turns 41 on Sept. 10, is 25 hits shy of the Canadian record of 2,160 hits held by Hall of Famer Larry Walker, but it remains to be seen whether Toronto will promote Votto with seven weeks to go.
The Blue Jays open a seven-game home series against Votto’s old team, the Cincinnati Reds, on August 19.
ON DECK
The Blue Jays begin a six-game road trip on Monday with stops at the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs.
Toronto’s Bowden Francis (4-3) will start the opening game in Anaheim. The Angels will counter with right-hander Davis Daniel (1-3).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 11, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
