Joey Loperfido and Addison Barger hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the ninth, lifting the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-4 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
Roansy Contreras (2-3) entered for the Angels in the ninth and gave up Loperfido’s fourth homer of the season to tie the game. Then Barger hit his fourth of the season 439 feet to right-center to complete the Blue Jays’ comeback from a 4-0 deficit.
The Blue Jays improved to 5-0 against the Angels this season, including a three-game sweep last week in Anaheim. They have homered in 12 straight games.
Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt lasted six innings, allowing four runs, four hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz allowed three runs and seven hits with one strikeout in six-plus innings.
The Angels scored all four of their runs in the second.
Former Blue Jay Kevin Pillar was hit by a pitch and scored on Anthony Rendon’s double into the left field corner. After Niko Kavadas walked and executed a double steal with Rendon, Jo Adell stroked a two-run double to right center. Taylor Ward hit a cue shot down the first base line for an RBI single.
Toronto scored twice in the fourth. Daulton Varsho singled to right, extending his on-base streak to 21 games. Spencer Horwitz hit a double that deflected off Ward’s glove at the left field wall. Varsho scored on Alejandro Kirk’s groundout and Ernie Clement hit an RBI single.
The Jays cut it to 4-3 in the sixth. Varsho led off with a single, took second on first baseman Nolan Schanuel’s error on Horwitz’s grounder and scored on Kirk’s single.
Loperfido led off the Toronto seventh by hustling a hit to center into a double. Hunter Strickland replaced Kochanowicz and allowed a walk while getting two outs before Jose Quijada got the final out with a strikeout of Varsho.
Toronto’s Chad Green (4-3) pitched around a leadoff single and a stolen base in the top of the ninth.
Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak (left elbow) did not play. Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was given a day off.
–Field Level Media