Encore-nacion: Homer extends streak to 25
Blue Jays slugger follows three-HR performance with solo shot in first
TORONTO -- Edwin Encarnacion maintained his power stroke and the Blue Jays' home run parade continued on Sunday in a 9-2 victory over the Tigers at Rogers Centre.
Encarnacion's solo shot in the first inning extended his Major League-best hitting streak to 25 games as a part of a four-homer afternoon by Toronto as it completed the series sweep of Detroit in dominant fashion. It was the second game in a row the Blue Jays hit four homers, and after a three-homer night in the series opener on Friday, the home team racked up 11 over three games.
"If this isn't the feel of a championship team, I don't know what is," said catcher Russell Martin, who swatted a two-run shot in the fourth inning.
Josh Donaldson and Kevin Pillar also went yard to help the Blue Jays to their third sweep in their last eight series, going 20-3 over that stretch. They outscored the Tigers, 29-6, on the weekend, and over their past three series, the Blue Jays have bested the opposition, 84-29.
Video: DET@TOR: Blue Jays hit four homers in win over Tigers
Toronto's offensive outburst has contributed to a near-historic run through August, during which the team is 21-5 and one win shy of setting a new club record for most wins in a month.
The Blue Jays, who lead the Majors with 184 home runs, neared, tied or set a barrage of club offensive records over the course of the series against the Tigers. For the most part, it all comes back to Encarnacion.
Encarnacion's current hitting streak is the fourth longest in team history and the longest in the American League since 2011. His nine RBIs in a three-homer afternoon on Saturday tied a club record for the most in a single game.
Encarnacion's 35 RBIs in August set a club record for the most in any month -- in fact, no player in the Major Leagues has tallied that many in a month since Troy Tulowitzki in 2010. Encarnacion matched a club record with an RBI in eight consecutive games, and he became the first Blue Jays player since Shawn Green in 1999 to have an extra-base hit in eight straight.
"There's really no words for it; you're witnessing something great," Pillar said. "It's not like we haven't seen him do it before, with the roll he got on last year during May. But from where he was a couple of weeks ago, out of the lineup with a sore hand, to just turning it on like this and be a big part of this offence, it's awesome to see."