TORONTO, ON - JUNE 15: Yangervis Solarte #26 of the Toronto Blue Jays is congratulated by Teoscar Hernandez #37 after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning during MLB game action against the Washington Nationals at Rogers Centre on June 15, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays have struggled this year, of that there can be no debate.
Put a lefthanded pitcher on the mound and their troubles get even more magnified.
Such as the quandary facing the team Friday night at Rogers Centre, with the Washington Nationals providing the opposition and lefthander Gio Gonzalez toeing the rubber.
Gonzalez and the Nationals were hoping to extend Toronto’s franchise record 11-consecutive losses against lefthanded starters this season.
But a big offensive night from Yangervis Solarte and a ball lost in the night sky helped clear the way for a 6-5 Toronto (31-38) victory over Washington (37-29), snapping a three-game Blue Jays losing skid.
The score was knotted at 3-3 heading into the seventh when Teoscar Hernandez skied a fly ball to right field with Devon Travis already stationed at first.
Washington outfielder Adam Eaton seemed to have a bead on the ball, but then put his hands out in that ‘I have no idea’ fashion just before the ball fell freely behind him and hopped over the wall.
It was a ground-rule double that moved Travis to third and Travis would score the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly lifted by Justin Smoak.
With Gonzalez now out of the game, Solarte then blasted a home run into the second deck in right field off reliever Justin Miller, a two-run blow that increased Toronto’s lead to three – and they would need them.
The Toronto bullpen had some anxious moments in the eighth with Aaron Loup and then John Axford combining to give two of the runs back to Atlanta, but the Blue Jays were able to hang on.
Washington put the tying run at third base with one out in the top of the ninth but Ryan Tepera struck out Trea Turner to end the uprising.
For Solarte, it was his second home run of the game, giving him a team-leading 14 on the year. He hit his first home run batting righthanded and his second from the left side, becoming just the ninth Blue Jay all-time to accomplish that in a game.
Travis also homered in the contest for Toronto, which also had a good start by Aaron Sanchez.
“We’ll take anything we can get right now,” said Toronto manager John Gibbons. “I thought we played a pretty good game. Bats came to life, Solarte had a big night and Devon looked good. I thought it was a good solid outing from Sanchez.”
It is the beginning a five-game, six-day homestand for the Blue Jays, and it won’t be an easy time. It rarely has been so far this season, which is slip-sliding away.
The Nationals are battling the surprising Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East and it is the Braves who are up next in Toronto, starting a two-game set on Tuesday.
The Nationals came to Toronto having won seven of their last eight games and are built around Bryce Harper, normally their right fielder but who got the start in centre for just the third time on the year.
Any discussion concerning who are the best players in Major League Baseball always includes Bryce Harper, who is not hitting for average (.224) but his power numbers (19 home runs, 43 runs batted in) remain impressive.
Josh Donaldson missed his 15th game trying to nurse a tight left calf muscle back to health. The third baseman is taking batting practice and participating in fielding drills, but he still can’t cut it loose running on the base paths.
“The calf’s just not ready to spring right now,” Donaldson said.
Gibbons said Donaldson might be ready in a couple of more days at which time he’ll probably be sent out to the minors on a rehab assignment for a game or two.
Harper’s skill set was on display in the Washington first, earning a two-out walk off Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez. Harper then stole second base and scored when Anthony Rendon stroked a little flare into right field to put Washington up 1-0.
The Nationals extended that lead to 2-0 in the second when Juan Soto drilled a long fly ball to centre that sent Kevin Pillar scampering back. Pillar leapt up and into the wall but could not make the catch and Soto had a double.
He would score when Pedro Severino stroked a seeing-eye ground ball through the left side.
Sanchez was already up to 44 pitches through the first two innings.
After making a sparkling defensive play to end the second inning to throw out Daniel Murphy at first base, Travis then got busy with his bat for Toronto in the third.
Following an infield single by Aledmys Diaz, Travis stroked his third home run of the season on the first pitch he saw from Gonzalez that knotted the score at 2-2.
But Toronto was not finished with the inning yet. Solarte crunched his first homer of the night, unloading to rightfield on a 3-0 pitch that moved Toronto in front 3-2.
Washington battled back to tie it up in the fifth when Sanchez unleased a wild pitch that catcher Russell Martin could not corral, allowing Turner to scamper home from third base.
Sanchez pitched well, lasting six innings, allowing three Washington runs off three hits while striking out eight.