Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. The Jays won 2-1.Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Lourdes Gurriel homered and Hyun Jin Ryu pitched six solid innings to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.
After Miami’s Sixto Sanchez got through the first four innings on 43 pitches, Gurriel snapped the rookie right-hander’s 11-inning scoreless string with a two-run shot for a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Gurriel drove Sanchez’s 0-1 slider over the left-centre wall for his fifth homer.
Ryu (3-1) allowed one run and six hits, walked two and matched a season high with eight strikeouts.
A.J. Cole and Rafael Dolis each pitched scoreless innings and Anthony Bass got his fourth save for the Blue Jays, who are 12-12 in one-run games.
Jonathan Villar had two hits in his second game since joining the Blue Jays in a trade with Miami on Monday.
Sanchez (1-1) was lifted after seven innings. He allowed six hits and struck out five.
Miami scored its run on Garrett Cooper’s RBI single in the fifth.
The Blue Jays committed three baserunning blunders that ended innings. Jonathan Villar was thrown out attempting to stretch a single into a double in the first, and Miami catcher Jorge Alfaro picked off Gurriel at first in the second and Villar at third in the fourth.
Toronto right-hander Taijuan Walker (3-2, 3.27 ERA) will make his second start for the Jays on Thursday at Boston. Acquired from Seattle Aug. 27, Walker pitched six shutout innings against Baltimore in his debut with the Blue Jays on Aug. 29.