Bo Bichette belted a solo homer among his three hits and drove in three runs as the Toronto Blue Jays breezed to an 8-0 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Whit Merrifield each added two RBIs for the Blue Jays, who swept the three-game series. Santiago Espinal had three hits and one RBI to send Toronto to its fourth straight victory and the reeling White Sox to their seventh consecutive loss.
Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (4-0) picked up the win after scattering four hits to go along with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Chicago right-hander Michael Kopech (0-3) took the loss after allowing four runs, six hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings.
Toronto opened the scoring with three runs in the third inning. Espinal singled with two out before George Springer was hit by a pitch on his hand. Bichette had an RBI single and Guerrero grounded a two-run double past first base.
Daulton Varsho led off the fourth with a walk, took third on Merrifield’s single and scored on Espinal’s single.
Springer left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning after Cavan Biggio batted for him and struck out. Biggio manned right field in place of Springer, who was diagnosed with a bruised hand after X-rays were negative.
Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi led off the fifth inning with a single and Seby Zavala walked with one out. Kikuchi ended the threat by retiring Lenyn Sosa on a fly out and striking out Romy Gonzalez.
Erik Swanson replaced Kikuchi with a runner at second and two out in the sixth. He finished the inning with a strikeout.
Jimmy Lambert replaced Kopech and worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth.
Swanson struck out the side in the top of the seventh inning.
Bichette hit his fifth homer of the season with one out in the bottom of the seventh against Lambert. Guerrero followed with a double, Matt Chapman walked, Varsho was hit by a pitch and Merrifield hit a two-run single.
Yimi Garcia pitched a perfect top of the eighth with two strikeouts.
Espinal singled and scored on Bichette’s single in the bottom of the eighth against Gregory Santos.
Trevor Richards struck out the side in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
