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TORONTO – Now that Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has found his home-run power he’s not going to take it for granted.
Guerrero and Danny Jansen each had a two-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back with a 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. It was Guerrero’s second consecutive game with a home run after a 16-game drought and the two blasts were his first homers at Rogers Centre this season.
“They all feel great. A homer is a homer,” said Guerrero through translator Hector Lebron. “I’m at 11 homers right now. I’m trying to enjoy it. It’s not easy to do that.
“So all 11 of my homers, I try to celebrate them.”
Guerrero and manager John Schneider agreed that being more patient at the plate and waiting for the right pitch has made the difference this weekend.
“Strikes. I’m looking for strikes, not trying to chase,” said Guerrero.
Schneider theorized on Friday that Toronto’s opponents have developed a strategy to pitch against the two-time all-star. Guerrero led Major League Baseball with 48 home runs in 2021 and had 32 last year.
“Hopefully (his at bats) can stay right there,” said Schneider. “I thought again, he was laying off some pitches, down and away.”
Brandon Belt had a sacrifice fly and Matt Chapman added an RBI single a day after Toronto (42-36) lost to lowly Oakland.
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José Berríos (8-5) struck out eight, allowing three runs — two earned — on six hits and two walks. Relievers Tim Mayza, Nate Pearson, Yimi Garcia and closer Jordan Romano of Markham, Ont., combined for three scoreless innings.
Berríos has gone 8-3 over his last 14 starts, with a 2.74 earned-run average. His production has been a boon for the Blue Jays, who are running with a four-man rotation after demoting Alek Manoah to the minors to sort out his delivery.
“I’ve been feeling pretty strong and healthy,” said Berríos, who is taking fewer bullpen sessions between starts. “Sometimes we feel like we need that extra day but that’s what it is right now. You have to work around it.”
Seth Brown had a solo home run for the MLB-worst Athletics (20-59). Ryan Noda and Tyler Wade drove in runs with a double and a single, respectively.
Shintaro Fujinami (3-7) only pitched 2/3 of an inning, giving up two runs on four hits before being replaced by Hogan Harris.
Harris allowed four runs over 4 2/3 innings on five hits and four walks. Austin Pruitt and Sam Long also came out of Oakland’s bullpen.
Belt got Toronto on the board in the first inning when his sacrifice fly scored George Springer from second base. Two at bats later, Chapman singled to right field to cash in Bo Bichette for a 2-0 Blue Jays lead.
Brown replied in the next inning, muscling a pitch from Berríos 414 feet to deep centre. His fifth homer of the season came off of a 78.9 m.p.h. slurve.
Toronto manufactured another run in the bottom of the inning. Fujinami loaded the bases and then hit Guerrero with a pitch to push Santiago Espinal across home for a 3-1 Blue Jays lead.
Noda pulled Oakland back within a run when he doubled in Tony Kemp.
Jansen put his 10th home run of the season just over the wall in left field in the third, with the police officer doing security for Toronto’s bullpen handing the ball to a fan. Jansen’s 378-foot shot also scored Daulton Varsho to make it 5-2 Jays.
The A’s chipped away at Toronto’s lead in the sixth when Wade hit a bloop single between Espinal and Bichette to score Jace Peterson.
Guerrero’s homer came in the sixth inning. He rocked an 81.4 m.p.h. curveball from Pruitt 437 feet to dead centre. That brought home Belt to give the Blue Jays a commanding 7-3 lead.
“Kind of a hanging breaking ball there and he can hit it as hard and as far as anyone in the league,” said Schneider. “If he can stay right there, that’s good.”
CIMBER OUT — Right-handed reliever Adam Cimber was placed on the 15-day injured list two hours before the game began. The sidearmer is out with a right shoulder impingement. Righty Bowden Francis was recalled from triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move.
ON DECK — Yusei Kikuchi (6-2) gets the start as Toronto closes out its series with Oakland in a matinee.
Luis Medina (1-6) is scheduled to pitch for the Athletics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2023.
© 2023 The Canadian Press