Limited to three points or less in their last six outings, the Toronto Blue Jays certainly took a weight off their shoulders by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 on Tuesday in St. Louis.
Danny Jansen was the spark plug in the Toronto clan by slamming two home runs. His first allowed the Jays to add three points to the board, while his second, in the seventh period, drove the final nail in the coffin of their opponents.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also catapulted a ball out of bounds, ending a 14 game drought without success. It is his second-longest career drought in major league baseball.
To top it off, Kevin Gausman (4-3) was effective on the mound by limiting the Cards hitters to four strikes and two free passes in six innings without giving up a single run.
Brendan Donovan deprived the Jays of the shutout with a seventh-inning single against Ross Stripling. Andrew Vasquez, however, made sure to put an end to the Cards’ hopes by making the last three outs of the game.
The Blue Jays will now face the Angels in a four-game series in Los Angeles set to begin Thursday.
McClanahan shines once again
Shane McClanahan was once again stingy with points in St Petersburg, helping the Tampa Bay Rays defeat the Miami Marlins 4-0.
McClanahan (4-2) worked six innings on the mound, giving up only four hits and two walks in addition to striking out nine batters. The 25-year-old gunner has only given up one point in his last three outings.
Kevin Kiermaier, however, stole the show in the first period by hitting a homer inside the field. He took advantage of the fact that an outfielder was unable to catch his shot to center field to speed the throw to home plate.
His teammates Harold Ramirez and Ji-Man Choi have added a conventional circuit to their respective records.
Pablo Lopez (4-2) is also having an excellent season on the hill. The Marlins color holder, however, allowed four or more earned runs for the first time this season, so he suffered the loss.
Schwindel is having fun
Frank Schwindel hit two homers and the Chicago Cubs easily won their duel against the Reds by a score of 11-4 in Cincinnati.
Schwindel first sent a first pitch into the stands on the first turn at bat. This two-point slap gave the visitors a three-point lead. He then doubled down, this time solo, in round five.
Seiya Suzuki, Alfonso Rivas and Andrelton Simmons also contributed to the cause by all three being responsible for two points.
Former Toronto Blue Jays Marcus Stroman (2-4) scored the win, giving up two runs, four hits to the safety and a free pass in five innings of work.
