Kevin Pillar (1) of the San Francisco Giants slides across home plate to score a run in the second inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on April 23, 2019 in Toronto.Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
After a revitalizing six-game trip, the Toronto Blue Jays were hoping to capitalize on the momentum with a solid start to a five-game homestand.
The Blue Jays staged a spirited late-game comeback but the hole they dug earlier was too formidable as the San Francisco Giants prevailed for a 7-6 victory at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.
The Giants were in control, with a 7-2 lead heading into the eighth inning where it almost all but disintegrated when Rowdy Tellez mashed his first career grand slam off Giants reliever Tony Watson.
But that was as close as the Blue Jays got. The Giants had four home runs.
For the left-handed hitting designated hitter, it was also the first time he has left the yard against a left-handed pitcher, which added to the achievement.
“A little bit, personally,” he said. “But we lost tonight. It’s a tough one for me, kind of a meaningless home run in the scorebook. But mentally, it’s nice to have a good at bat against a tough lefty out of the bullpen.”
The game marked the first for Kevin Pillar against his former team since he was traded to the Giants at the beginning of April. The centre fielder went 1-for-4 and knocked in one of the San Francisco runs.
It was a big night offensively for Giants second baseman Joe Panik, who drove in three of their runs off two hits, including his first home run of the season
Evan Longoria also clubbed a homer for the Giants (10-14) as did Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval.
The Blue Jays (12-12) were back at home after an unexpectedly strong trip in which they went 6-1, including a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels
The Giants got on the board early, scoring three times in the second inning off Toronto starter Trent Thornton. Panik delivered the big blow, a two-run scoring double into the right-field corner.
Pillar also chipped in with a run-scoring single in his first at-bat against his former team.
Toronto got one back in its half of the second on a triple by Socrates Brito that brought home Tellez from second. But Panik restored the three-run cushion in the fifth with a solo home run shot to centre.
Longoria’s bomb in the sixth, his third of the year, made the score 5-1.
Eric Sogard continued his strong hitting since being called up from Triple A. He hit his first home run with the Blue Jays in the bottom of the sixth, which cut the lead to 5-2. The second baseman now has hits in all six games he has played with Toronto.
The home run belt ended Sogard’s homerless at-bats streak at 313, the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
Both Belt and Sandoval homered in the two-run Giants’ eighth inning that brought the score to 7-2.