Toronto Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho celebrates his two-run home run while he runs the bases during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Minneapolis.The Associated Press
Toronto hit three two-run homers, including two in a seven-run first inning, and José Berríos tossed six shutout innings as the Blue Jays routed the Minnesota Twins 15-0 on Saturday night.
Daulton Varsho and Spencer Horwitz each hit two-run home runs in the first inning off Twins starter Zebby Matthews (1-2), giving the Blue Jays a 4-0 lead just four batters into the game. Toronto scored three more runs in the inning off Matthews to take a 7-0 lead before Minnesota’s bats ever got to the plate.
Matthews lasted just one more inning in his fourth career start. He surrendered another two-run blast in the second, this time off the bat of Addison Barger, to make it a 9-0 Toronto lead.
Cleveland and Kansas City also lost Saturday, so Minnesota remains 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Guardians and a game back of the second-place Royals in the American League Central.
Toronto set season highs for both runs (15) and hits (23).
That was more than enough offensive support for Berríos (14-9), who was sharp against his former team. The right-hander allowed just three hits, all singles, and tallied five strikeouts in six innings.
Berríos pitched for the Twins from 2016 to 2021, when he was dealt to Toronto at the trade deadline. He is now 4-1 lifetime against Minnesota.
Twins infielder Kyle Farmer pitched the eighth and ninth innings and allowed three runs. It’s the second time in his career he’s taken the mound.
Second baseman Will Wagner added a solo homer for Toronto, his second big-league homer since debuting on June 26.
Blue Jays short stop Bo Bichette hasn’t played since July 19, and manager John Schneider said Bichette did some running Saturday, though not on the bases yet. Schneider said the team hopes Bichette will run on the bases in the next few days.
The Twins’ Manny Margot exited Saturday’s game with right groin tightness.
Yariel Rodriguez (1-6, 4.82 ERA) will look for his first win since July 6 as he takes the mound for the Blue Jays in the series finale. Minnesota will start Bailey Ober (12-6, 4.06), who was roughed up for nine runs in just two innings against Atlanta in his last start.