In Oakland, Blue Jays show they can bash, brother
OAKLAND -- The Blue Jays got home runs from Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Russell Martin, and Josh Donaldson chimed in with an RBI double to help sink his former A's team, 7-1, in the opener of a three-game series at the Coliseum on Tuesday night.
Lefty Mark Buehrle held the A's to one run over seven innings for his 11th win, scattering eight hits -- including Jake Smolinski's sixth-inning RBI triple -- and walking none with three strikeouts. The veteran has completed seven innings in seven consecutive starts and 11 of his last 12 and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine straight.
Oakland starter Kendall Graveman, one of four players acquired by Oakland in the Donaldson deal, was responsible for six runs on as many hits, three of them home runs, in 5 1/3 innings. The A's left seven on base, going 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
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Martin breaks it wide open: Martin has been struggling at the plate lately but his bat put the Blue Jays on cruise control in the sixth inning. His three-run shot to left field capped a four-run inning for Toronto that allowed the club to improve to 3-1 since the All-Star break. According to Statcast™, Martin's 13th homer of the year was projected to travel 396 feet and left his bat at 104 mph. It was Martin's first home run since July 2, but he has yet to enjoy a multi-hit game this month.
Video: TOR@OAK: Martin belts three-run shot in the 6th
Rocky reunion: Facing his former team for the first time since his November trade to the A's, Graveman was roughed up for a career-high three home runs. The right-hander was pitching on 10 days' rest and was struggling to consistently locate his signature sinkerball. Graveman has allowed a combined 10 runs in his last two starts, after giving up a total of six in his previous six outings.
"I thought I was just missing," Graveman said. "They did a good job of being patient. Some pitches that were around the zone they layed off of, and then when they missed up in the zone, that's when I got hurt. I gotta keep being stubborn and pound the baseball down in the zone and try to get ground balls." More >
Bautista Bomb: Bautista gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning with a deep solo shot to left field. It was Bautista's 223rd home run in a Toronto uniform, which tied him for second place on the club's all-time list with Vernon Wells, while Carlos Delgado is first at 336. Bautista also has at least 20 homers in six consecutive seasons and the only other Toronto players to accomplish that are Joe Carter (seven) and Delgado (nine).
"It's another great individual accomplishment," Bautista said. "A lot of those things, we get to enjoy them later on, the offseason and stuff like that, but right now just trying to keep contributing. That's what I'm trying to do and I'll enjoy those personal accolades later on." More >
Video: TOR@OAK: Bautista goes deep to pad Blue Jays' lead
QUOTABLE
"It's unfamiliar territory and I didn't really know what to expect, but I was very grateful for how they treated me today." -- Donaldson on receiving a standing ovation in his return to Oakland. More >
Video: TOR@OAK: Donaldson receives ovation in Oakland
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Jose Reyes' RBI single in the third inning gave Toronto its 500th run of the season. The Blue Jays became the quickest team to reach the 500-run plateau since the Red Sox in 2011 by doing it in their 95th game.
Video: TOR@OAK: Reyes plates Pillar with single to center
Buehrle became the first Blue Jays pitcher in franchise history to allow two earned runs or less in nine consecutive starts while tossing at least six innings. Dave Stieb and Roger Clemens previously shared the record of eight consecutive starts with two earned runs or less. More >
Video: TOR@OAK: Buehrle allows one run over seven strong
WHAT'S NEXT
Blue Jays: Left-hander Felix Doubront will make his third start of the season when he takes the mound on Wednesday night in a game that's scheduled to start at 10:05 p.m. ET. Doubront allowed seven runs -- five earned -- on 10 hits over five innings in his last outing against the Royals. With Toronto rumored to be in the market for starting pitching, Doubront will need a strong outing to have a shot at keeping his job secure
A's: Ace Sonny Gray will look to rebound from a shaky outing when he takes the mound at 7:05 p.m. PT on Wednesday for the second game of a three-game set against the Blue Jays at the Coliseum. Gray allowed five runs across six innings in his last start against the Twins but still holds a 2.29 ERA, second best in the American League.
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