Davis Schneider had a two-run homer, three RBIs and three runs while going 3-for-3 with a walk as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Cleveland Guardians 8-3 on Saturday afternoon.
Left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu (3-1) allowed three runs (two earned) and four hits in five-plus innings as the Blue Jays gained a split of the first two games of a three-game series. Ryu struck out five and walked none.
The Blue Jays had lost their three previous games.
Jose Ramirez and Tyler Freeman hit solo home runs for the Guardians.
Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen (6-7) allowed five runs, six hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out two.
Ramirez hit his 20th home run of the season, a drive to left, with one out in the first inning.
Toronto took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first. Whit Merrifield led off with a double and scored on Bo Bichette’s single. Schneider later hit his fourth homer of the season, a two-out blast to left center.
The Blue Jays increased the lead in the fourth. Schneider doubled and took third on a single by Danny Jansen, who advanced to second on the throw home. Matt Chapman hit an RBI single, and Santiago Espinal hit a sacrifice fly.
Freeman hit his first career home run on a drive to left field with one out in the fifth.
The Guardians loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Kole Calhoun singled ahead of a pair of consecutive errors. First, Chapman booted a grounder to third by Ramirez and then Espinal made a miscue on a grounder to shortstop by Oscar Gonzalez.
Yimi Garcia then replaced Ryu. Ramon Laureano was hit by a pitch to force in a run before Garcia struck out the next three batters.
Toronto reliever Erik Swanson allowed a one-out single to Myles Straw in the seventh before leaving with back discomfort. He was replaced by Tim Mayza, who ended the inning by inducing a double-play grounder.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the Toronto seventh with a single and took third on George Springer’s double against Cody Morris, who was replaced by James Karinchak. Schneider hit an RBI single to give Toronto a 6-3 lead. Jansen was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Daulton Varsho later hit a two-out, two-run single.
Reliever Trevor Richards was perfect in the eighth and ninth for Toronto.
–Field Level Media
