CINCINNATI — Brandon Belt had his second multi-home run this season as the Toronto Blue Jays crushed the Cincinnati Reds 10-3 on Sunday.
Kevin Kiermaier and Belt both hit a two-run homer in the second inning. Bo Bichette, Belt and George Springer had a solo slap in the fourth.
Belt also homered twice in a game against the Boston Red Sox on July 2. It was his 10th two-long game in the Majors.
Hunter Greene (2-5), who made his first start June 17 after going on the disabled list with right hip pain, allowed a career-high nine runs and 10 hits, so five circuits.
“Obviously it was frustrating today,” Greene admitted. It’s not how I had visualized my return.”
Bichette hit four goals for the first time since July 25. He returned to the Blue Jays roster on Saturday after missing out with tendinitis in his right kneecap. He also collected a triple and crossed home plate in the first inning.
“Bo was out for two weeks and he’s coming back with a triple, homer and instant offense,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. It’s the usual Bo with a home run to the opposite field. I think it’s very good for the guys.”
Toronto starter Hyun Jin Ryu (2-1) won back-to-back starts for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The 36-year-old Ryu is in the final year of a four-year contract worth US$80 million. He allowed two runs, four hits and a walk in five innings of work.
“I thought they would be very aggressive so I took the lead in the accounts. Being able to do that was one of the highlights of my match, Ryu noted. Our team was able to score a few points.”
Blue Jays reliever Bowden Francis allowed one run and two hits over three innings to earn Major League Baseball’s first save.
The game quickly turned sour for the Reds. After Bichette’s triple in the first inning, Bichette scored on an error by second baseman Matt McLain.
Danny Jansen hit a double and Kiermaier slammed a long ball to the right to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead in the second inning. A Whit Merrifield double set the stage for Belt’s two-run homer.
Then came the offensive push that knocked Greene out of the game in the fourth inning.
It was the 12th time this season that a Reds pitcher gave up five homers in a single game.
The Reds took advantage of an error to score two runs in the second inning as Tyler Stephenson hit a long ball in the seventh.
2023-08-21 08:37:33
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