TORONTO – Canadian Josh Naylor had two singles and drove in a run as the Cleveland Guardians captured a 7-2 win in the rubber match against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
The Guardians (61-53) were victorious for the sixth time in seven games while the Blue Jays (61-52) have won just twice in eight outings.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saw his hitting streak end at 22 games as he went 0-for-4. He grounded out to third with runners on first and second to end the seventh inning before 41,002 spectators at Rogers Centre.
Cleveland’s starting pitching held the Blue Jays to just four runs in the three-game series as the Guardians outscored Toronto 16-4.
Shane Bieber (8-6) went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (8-9) lasted 4 2/3 innings, surrendering five runs on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts on 98 pitches. The Guardians scored a run in the first, second and fourth innings and two more in the fifth to end Gausman’s day.
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Shortstop Amed Rosario hit a solo homer in the first. Catcher Austin Hedges singled in a run in the second and doubled in another in the fourth.
Naylor, of Mississauga, Ont., knocked in a run in the fifth with a single to right field. Owen Miller doubled in Cleveland’s fifth run later in the inning.
Cavan Biggio was in right field for Toronto and made a fantastic sliding catch, crashing into the side wall on Myles Straw in the sixth. But he misplayed doubles to Hedges in the fourth and Miller’s second of the game in the fifth.
The Guardians touched reliever Trent Thornton for two runs in the ninth, thanks to RBI singles from Rosario and Jose Ramirez.
Stripling, Springer Updates
Toronto right-hander Ross Stripling (5-3) will be activated Wednesday and start in place of the struggling Jose Berrios in the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. Berrios will start against the Yankees in New York on Thursday.
Stripling (hip strain) tossed five shutout innings, allowing three hits in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo for a 3-1 win against Syracuse on Friday.
George Springer (right elbow) is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list Monday.
Up Next
The Blue Jays continue their six-day, six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game set against the Orioles on Monday. Despite back-to-back losses to the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore is only 1 1/2 games behind the Rays in the battle for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.
The Orioles have gone 24-13 in their last 37 outings. Toronto left-hander Yusi Kikuchi (4-6) will face right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-4) in the opener.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2022.
© 2022 The Canadian Press