Former teammate shuts down A's as Blue Jays win

TORONTO - More than seven years after his successful big-league debut, Cesar Valdez finally wound up back in the winner's circle.

Valdez pitched a career-high six innings to win for the first time since 2010, Ryan Goins had two RBIs, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Tuesday night.

Making his first start with Toronto and just the fourth of his career, Valdez (1-0) allowed one run and five hits, walked one and struck out four. He left to a standing ovation from the crowd of 40,624 after giving up a leadoff double to Khris Davis in the seventh.

“I want to thank the fans for everything they did for me when I stepped of the mound,” Valdez said through a translator. “It was amazing, it felt great. I was really emotional.”

Valdez was pitching for Arizona the only other time he won in the big leagues, pitching five innings to beat Houston in his major league debut on May 3, 2010. Following that season, Valdez did not pitch in the majors again before making four appearances with Oakland earlier this season.

“He was terrific, he really was,” manager John Gibbons said. “We didn't know what to expect. We couldn't ask for a better outing. Good for him. He's been grinding it out over the years.”

Valdez credited his late father, who died in 2015, for helping him stay focused on becoming a winner again at the big-league level.

“He was always the guy who would push me and drive me to stay in baseball,” Valdez said. “Everything I do now, it's in his name.”

Goins praised Valdez for working quickly, throwing strikes, and keeping the defense involved.

“He was pretty much doing what he wanted out there,” Goins said. “It was pretty fun to watch.”

With more than half a dozen scouts on hand to monitor his performance ahead of the Monday trade deadline, Oakland starter Sonny Gray (6-5) allowed four runs, none earned, in six innings.

The Blue Jays did all their damage against Gray in a four-hit second, with the big inning fueled by two errant tosses from the Athletics right-hander.

After Justin Smoak's leadoff single, Gray fielded a chopper by Kendrys Morales and tried to get the lead runner at second. Smoak ended up at third after Gray's high throw sailed into the outfield, and Troy Tulowitzki followed with an RBI groundout.

“I made a really costly mistake,” Gray said. “I take pride in the defense side of pitching and today it just really let everybody down.”

Ezequiel Carrera reached on an infield single and advanced on Gray's wild pitch before Ryan Goins hit a two-out, two-run double. Jose Bautista drove in Goins and snapped an 0 for 17 slump with an RBI double.

Gray is 1-3 with a 4.04 ERA in six road starts and 5-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 10 home outings.

Davis drove in Oakland's only run with an RBI double in the fourth. The Athletics have lost six of eight. They scored one or fewer for the 17th time.

“I thought we were a little anxious to start and maybe, as a whole, a little anxious right now,” manager Bob Melvin said.

CANADA DRY SPELL

The Athletics have lost 10 of 11 in Toronto.

TO ERR IS OAKLAND

Oakland made two errors and leads baseball with 86 miscues this season.