A’s head home at .500 after loss to Blue Jays
TORONTO — Alek Manoah struck out six over six innings to win his second straight start, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two hits and scored twice, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Athletics 4-3 Sunday.
Manoah (2-0) allowed two runs and four hits for the Blue Jays (6-4), who lead the AL East.
Toronto is 18-4 in Manaoh’s 22 career starts, winning the past 10 in a row.
“It’s pretty cool,” Manoah said of Toronto’s record in his outings. “I want those guys to know that I’m giving it my all every time. I think they kind of play off that energy.”
Manoah’s strong outing was a blessing for a Blue Jays rotation that took a hit when left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu was placed on the 10-day injured list before the game because of a sore forearm.
“It’s never good when anybody goes on the IL, but it’s a part of the game,” Manoah said.
The right-handed Manoah, who pitched six shutout innings against the Yankees last week, saw a 15-inning scoreless streak dating to last season get snapped when Oakland’s Stephen Vogt hit a solo home run in the fifth. The homer was Vogt’s first.
Manoah retired 10 of the final batters he faced, using a double-play grounder to erase Chad Pinder’s single in the fifth.
“He doesn’t back down from anybody,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said of Manoah. “When he gets in trouble, he goes from 92 to 94.”
Left-hander Tim Mayza pitched 1 1/3 innings, Adam Cimber got two outs and Jordan Romano finished, extending his Blue Jays record streak of consecutive save conversions to 29. Romano leads the majors with six saves.
Oakland went 5-5 on a season-opening 10-game road trip to Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Toronto. The Athletics play 13 of their next 15 at home.
“I couldn’t be happier with the club’s energy, effort level and fight through these 10 days,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “The record may not reflect, right now, how well I feel we played on this road trip.”
Gurriel went 2 for 3 with an RBI. He had a sacrifice fly in the first, doubled and scored in the third, then singled and scored from first base in the fifth on a two-base throwing error by Athletics shortstop Kevin Smith.
Making the second start of his career, Oakland right-hander Adam Oller (0-1) allowed three runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings. Oller walked three and struck out three, twice fanning major league home run leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who finished 0 for 4.
“I thought the fastball command was better tonight, I just didn’t have the breaking ball command,” Oller said. “It’s unfortunate against a good hitting team.”
Toronto’s Santiago Espinal hit an RBI single in the second and former Oakland star Matt Chapman drove in the third Blue Jays run with a two-out single in the third.
Oakland’s Sean Murphy hit a sacrifice fly off Manoah in the fifth and Seth Brown cut it to 4-3 with a sacrifice fly off Cimber in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: Brown stayed in the game after making a diving play in right field in the second.
Blue Jays: Ryu went on the IL after undergoing an MRI on Sunday morning. He felt sore after allowing five runs and six hits in four innings Saturday. Toronto activated LHP Ryan Borucki (right hamstring) off the IL.
HOME AND READY
Athletics RHP Frankie Montas did not accompany the team to Toronto because of a visa issue. Instead, Kotsay said Montas returned to Oakland to prepare for his start in Monday’s home opener.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Montas (1-1, 4.76) starts Monday as Oakland opens its home schedule with four against Baltmore. Baltimore has not named a starter.
Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-1, 5.40) starts Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series at Boston. RHP Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 4.50) starts for the Red Sox.
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