Pillar's 8th Inning Homer Lifts Blue Jays Past Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Pillar hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning, Jose Bautista also connected and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Friday night.
Gavin Floyd (1-2) worked one inning for the win and Drew Storen survived a shaky ninth to earn his second save as the Blue Jays recorded their season-best fourth straight win.
Edwin Encarnacion doubled off Joe Blanton (2-2) with one out in the eighth and was replaced by pinch-runner Ezequiel Carrera. The Dodgers intentionally walked Justin Smoak to face Pillar, who lined a 1-2 pitch into the left field bullpen, his second homer of the season.
Los Angeles used a walk and two singles to load the bases with two outs in the ninth but Corey Seager flied out to end it.
Darwin Barney's leadoff single in the third was Toronto's only hit through the first five innings, but Yasiel Puig threw out Barney as he tried to stretch his hit into a double. The assist was Puig's fourth.
After Josh Donaldson drew a one-out walk in the sixth, Bautista broke the deadlock by connecting on a 3-2 pitch from Kenta Maeda, his first homer since April 30.
Maeda allowed two runs and two hits in six innings. The rookie right-hander, who had walked just six batters over his first five starts, walked four against the Blue Jays.
The Dodgers responded with a two-out rally in the seventh. Joc Pederson and Carl Crawford hit back-to-back doubles and Chase Utley tied it with an RBI single.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (left shoulder surgery) threw between 50 and 60 pitches off the mound at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. Manager Dave Roberts said Ryu will need to throw once more before beginning a minor league rehab assignment. ... RHP Mike Bolsinger (strained left oblique) will begin a rehab assignment next week, Roberts said.
Blue Jays: SS Troy Tulowitzki got the day off. Tulowitzki has three hits in his past 33 at-bats.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 1.96) makes his first career start against the Blue Jays on Saturday. Kershaw leads the majors in strikeouts (54) and innings pitched (46). He's 10-2 with a 2.32 ERA in 25 career interleague starts.
Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (1-3, 5.73) is winless in his past five starts, going 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA in that span. Dickey is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in four career appearances against the Dodgers
(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
