Jose Berrios had a career-best 13 strikeouts, Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit two-run homers and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Minnesota Twins 12-3 Saturday afternoon.
Bo Bichette added a solo home run for the Blue Jays, who gained a split of the first two games of the three-game series.
Berrios (4-2), traded by Minnesota to Toronto on July 30, allowed two runs, three hits and two walks in seven innings.
George Springer, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Cavan Biggio each contributed two RBIs for Toronto. Teoscar Hernandez and Gurriel each had three hits.
Jorge Polanco hit a two-run home run for the Twins.
Minnesota right-hander Dylan Bundy (3-3) allowed six runs (five earned), eight hits and one walk in 2 1/3 innings.
Luis Arraez led off the first inning with a single and Polanco hit his sixth homer of the season to right center with one out.
Bichette hit his eighth homer of the season in the bottom of the first.
Toronto scored three runs in the second. Kirk led off with a single. Gurriel walked with two out and Biggio hit an RBI double to right. Springer’s dribbled along the third-base line went for an RBI infield single. Shortstop Jermaine Palacios’s error on Bichette’s grounder scored another run.
Hernandez led off the third with a triple and Kirk hit his fourth home run of the season. Ian Hamilton replaced Bundy with two runners on base and one out, He walked Biggio to load the bases before ending the threat on Springer’s double-play grounder.
Bichette singled and Guerrero hit his 12th homer in the fourth.
Toronto scored once in the seventh against Yennier Cano. Two walks and an infield hit loaded the bases and Springer hit a sacrifice fly.
Toronto’s Julian Merryweather pitched around two hits in the top of the eighth.
Trent Thornton allowed a run on Jose Miranda’s double and Mark Contreras’ groundout in the ninth.
Juan Minaya allowed a two-run single to Gurriel and an RBI single to Biggio in the eighth.
Minnesota reinstated outfielder Gilberto Celestino from the COVID-19 injured list on Saturday. Right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez was assigned to the taxi squad.
–Field Level Media
