Twins get homers in win over Jays

Published 6:05 am Tuesday, July 24, 2018

TORONTO — Logan Morrison homered and had three RBIs, Max Kepler added a two-run blast and the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Monday night, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Joe Mauer and Mitch Garver each had three hits and right-hander Adalberto Mejia (1-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings for his first win of the season as the Twins bounced back after being swept at Kansas City over the weekend.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a solo home run for the Blue Jays. Toronto swept a three-game series from Baltimore over the weekend but couldn’t extend its winning streak against the Twins.

Email newsletter signup

Promoted from Triple-A Rochester to make his second start of the season, Mejia allowed one run and eight hits, leaving with the bases loaded. Matt Belisle came on and retired two straight to escape the jam.

The Blue Jays gave right-hander Luis Santos his first career start because right-hander Marco Estrada remains sidelined with a strained left gluteal muscle. Santos (0-1) allowed one run and three hits in two innings.

Eduardo Escobar hit an RBI triple off Santos in the first and Morrison delivered a two-run single off left-hander Tim Mayza in the third.

Gurriel homered in the bottom half, his fifth, but Mauer and Escobar hit RBI singles in the fourth before Morrison and Kepler both connected off Joe Biagini in Minnesota’s three-run fifth.

A moment of silence was held before the game for the victims of Sunday night’s shooting in Toronto’s Greektown neighborhood. Two people died and 13 were injured.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: RHP Michael Pineda (elbow surgery) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment with a two-inning stint for Class A Fort Myers on Aug. 6.