Alejandro Kirk hit two home runs and had three RBIs, Santiago Espinal added a two-run shot and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 6-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Jays have won the first two games of the three-game series and are 4-1 against the Angels this season.
Toronto right-hander Alek Manoah struck out six and allowed one run, four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He left after hitting Taylor Ward with a pitch in the face with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, Ward appeared to be bleeding from the face and was removed from the field on a cart.
Angels left-hander Reid Detmers (2-8) allowed two runs, three hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five.
Luis Rengifo doubled with one out in Angels’ fifth inning. Shohei Ohtani was walked intentionally and Mickey Moniak walked to load the bases. Ward was hit in the face by Manoah’s pitch to force in a run. After being treated on the field for several minutes, he left the game and was replaced by pinch-runner Andrew Velazquez. Genesis Cabrera (2-1) replaced Manoah and retired the next two batters.
Kirk led off the Toronto fifth with a single and scored on Espinal’s second homer of the season.
The Angels loaded the bases with two out in the sixth on a double and a walk against Jay Jackson and another intentional walk to Ohtani, this time by Trevor Richards, who ended the threat by striking out Moniak.
Kirk led off the home seventh with a home run, a drive to the left-field corner against Aaron Loup. Loup allowed another run on Kevin Kiermaier’s infield hit and Whit Merrifield’s double as the Blue Jays increased their lead to 4-1.
Kirk followed Danny Jansen’s single with his sixth homer of the season in the eighth against Jaime Barria.
Yimi Garcia pitched around a single in the ninth.
Angels manager Phil Nevin served a one-game suspension Saturday for his actions in vehemently protesting a called third strike in the ninth inning Friday.
Toronto put closer Jordan Romano (lower back inflammation) on the injured list before the game and recalled right-hander Nate Pearson from Triple-A Buffalo. Pearson pitched a perfect eighth inning Saturday.
–Field Level Media