Chris Bassitt hit hard as A's lose 9-3 to Blue Jays

TORONTO - Chris Bassitt couldn't help the Oakland Athletics extend their longest winning streak in more than two years.

Troy Tulowitzki hit two solo home runs, former Athletic Josh Donaldson added a three-run blast and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Bassit and the A's 9-3 on Saturday, snapping Oakland's six-game winning streak.

Mark Canha homered for the Athletics, whose seven-game road winning streak ended.

Oakland was seeking to win seven in a row for the first time since a nine-game run from April 3-12, 2013.

They never came close as Bassitt (0-1) matched a career worst by allowing six runs and gave up a career-high nine hits in five innings, including two homers.

“I didn't have my fastball all day long,” Bassitt said. “It was a struggle from there on out.”

Bassitt didn't get a whole lot of help from his defense in the first inning, when shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Chris Coghlan both misplayed balls that could have been the third out, although both plays were ruled hits. The Blue Jays scored twice in the first to erase a 1-0 deficit.

Donaldson connected in the second to put Toronto up 5-1, and Oakland never threatened again.

“I just didn't give us a chance,” Bassitt said. “That's the most disappointing thing. The first two innings, it's just a huge uphill battle.”

Donaldson's homer was his AL-leading seventh. He matched his career high for home runs in April, set in 2014.

Bassitt has received no more than two runs of support in any of his four starts this season.

Toronto set a season-high in runs and scored five or more in back-to-back games for the first time since the opening two games of the season.

“Today was more Toronto Blue Jays offense-like than what we've seen early on this season,” Donaldson said.

J.A. Happ (3-0) allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings to win his third straight start. The left-hander improved to 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA in eight career games against Oakland.

“He worked that two-seamer pretty well today and got us to roll over or just be a tiny bit off,” Semien said of Happ. “He threw a lot of strikes.”

Ezequiel Carrera had the first four-hit game of his career and scored three times as the Blue Jays won for the first time in four games. He also made a pair of diving catches in left, one on Chris Coghlan in the fifth and another on Khris Davis in the ninth.

Mark Canha homered for the Athletics, whose seven-game road winning streak ended.

Tulowitzki homered to begin the fifth and seventh innings, the 12th multi-homer game of his career. It was the first multi-hit game of the season for Tulowitzki, who also singled in the first.

Donaldson went 3 for 4 with four RBIs. He drove in Toronto's final run with a single off Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth.

“We didn't really let up all day,” Donaldson said. “We kind of kept going and going.”

After former Blue Jays reliever Liam Hendriks hit Donaldson with a pitch in the sixth, Happ drilled Davis with his first pitch of the seventh. Home plate umpire Chris Conroy responded by issuing warnings to both dugouts.

“There was definitely no intention against Donaldson,” Hendriks said. “I played with him last year. Great teammate, great guy. Just a ball that slipped out and managed to get him pretty square.”

LONG MAN

Three of Canha's four hits this season have been home runs.

STREAK SNAPPED

Canha's homer marked the first time in seven starts that Happ had allowed a run in the first inning.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Blue Jays: OF Michael Saunders (hamstring) missed his second straight game.

UP NEXT

Athletics: LHP Eric Surkamp (0-1, 3.68) has a 2.08 ERA in six career relief appearances against Toronto.

Blue Jays: RHP Drew Hutchison is being promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to make his first start of the season as Toronto gives its starters an extra day of rest.