Right-hander Chris Bassitt pitched six stellar innings, Anthony Santander hit a two-run home run and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting San Diego Padres 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a solo home run for the Blue Jays, who are 3-4 on their nine-game homestand. The Blue Jays won despite finishing with only three hits.
Bassitt (4-2) allowed four hits and one walk while striking out six.
The Padres’ hitting woes continued in the opener of a six-game road trip. They have lost four in a row, scoring a total of three runs in that span and no more than one in a game.
The Padres had a promising start when Luis Arraez doubled in the first inning against Bassitt to extend his hit streak to seven games. Bassitt struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Toronto took the lead in the home first when Guerrero homered to the bullpen in left field on an 0-1 elevated fastball from right-hander Dylan Cease (1-3). Guerrero has reached base in 20 consecutive games.
Toronto took a 3-0 lead in the fifth. Alejandro Kirk walked and Santander lined a homer to right on a flat 0-1 slider.
Addison Barger continued the Blue Jays’ push when he singled, stole second and took third on Ernie Clement’s sacrifice. Cease avoided further damage when Barger was doubled up at third base on a line drive to first by Nathan Lukes.
Brendon Little replaced Bassitt for the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Gavin Sheets. His next batter, Jake Cronenworth, bounced into a double play to squelch a potential rally.
Cease finished seven innings for the first time this season, allowing three runs, three hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
Yariel Rodriguez replaced Little and had a perfect eighth inning. Jeff Hoffman pitched a clean ninth to earn his 10th save of the season.
The Padres were 0-for-3 hitting with runners in scoring position on Tuesday after going 0-for-21 with men in scoring position when they were swept in a three-game weekend series by the Seattle Mariners.
–Field Level Media
