Blue Jays use slam in 9th to topple Royals
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s ninth-inning grand slam helped the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the host Kansas City Royals 9-2 Tuesday night in a game that was in doubt until a five-run ninth.
Toronto pitchers worked around constant traffic on the bases; the Royals had 18 baserunners. They were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 14 runners on base.
Sean Reid-Foley (1-1) earned the win, but it was not easy. He didn't allow a run in five innings, but he gave up four hits and walked four. Two other baserunners reached base on errors while he was in the game.
Mike Montgomery (1-4) took the loss for Kansas City. He allowed four runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.
The Blue Jays got two runs in the first inning on RBI singles by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Guerrero but could have had more. Cavan Biggio just missed a two-run home run on an inning-ending flyout. Gurriel also was caught stealing at third prior to the single by Guerrero, possibly denying the Jays another run.
The Royals left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first off Reid-Foley, a sign of things to come. Through the first four innings, the Royals left seven runners on base.
The Blue Jays plated two more in the fifth. Brandon Drury led off with a walk, followed by a double by Danny Jansen. After Montgomery retired Bo Bichette, Freddy Galvis blooped a single to center, scoring Drury and Jansen.
The Royals finally capitalized on a scoring opportunity when Meibrys Viloria had an RBI double with two outs in the eighth. But Alex Gordon lined out on a diving catch by Randal Grichuk with two runners on to end the inning.
All five Blue Jays runs in the ninth were unearned. The Royals also added a run in the ninth.
Whit Merrifield stroked a single in the sixth inning, extending his streak to 132 games without back-to-back hitless games. It's the third-longest such streak in the American League and guaranteed to tie the fifth-longest in the majors since 1946.
--Field Level Media