Justin Turner hit two homers and drove in three runs as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Monday.
Danny Jansen added a solo homer for the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Davis Schneider and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits for Toronto, which has won two straight since dropping five in a row.
Kyle Isbel and Freddy Fermin each had a solo homer and a single for the Royals, who took their third consecutive loss. Maikel Garcia also finished with two hits.
Toronto starter Yariel Rodriguez allowed three runs (two earned), six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out one.
Genesis Cabrera (1-0), the first of five Blue Jays relievers, threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Nate Pearson pitched around two hits in the ninth for his first save of the year.
Royals right-hander Jonathan Bowlan (0-1) was recalled from Triple-A for the start. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings while fanning three.
Each team scored twice in the first inning.
Bobby Witt Jr. singled with one out for Kansas City, stole second with two outs and scored on Nelson Velazquez’s bad-hop double past third baseman Addison Barger. After Barger threw wildly to second, Velazquez took third and scored on Michael Massey’s infield single to shortstop.
Guerrero walked with one out in the bottom of the first before Turner homered down the left field line.
Turner gave Toronto a 3-2 lead in the third with his fourth homer of the season, stroking a sinker to left. Two batters later, Jansen hit a fastball to left-center for his second homer of the year.
The Royals pulled within 4-3 in the fourth. Fermin led off with a walk, advanced to second on Hunter Renfroe’s one-out single and scored on Isbel’s single to right. Witt walked to load the bases with two outs before Cabrera replaced Rodriguez and induced a groundout by Vinnie Pasquantino.
Toronto got that run back in the fifth. Daulton Varsho led off with a double to right and scored on Schneider’s one-out single.
Isbel hit a blast to right-center against Trevor Richards with one out in the sixth for his third homer of the season.
Toronto scored once against Matt Sauer in the home sixth when Barger singled for his first major league hit and scored on Guerrero’s one-out double. Barger, playing in his fourth game, had been 0-for-13.
Fermin led off the eighth against Erik Swanson with his first homer of the season, a drive to left.
–Field Level Media
