José Berríos struck out seven batters in seven innings to win his third straight game, while George Springer hit two of Toronto’s season-high five home runs in their 10-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Springer hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a solo shot in the fifth, bringing his season total to 16 home runs. It was his third game this year with multiple home runs and the 24th of his career.
“George’s first one obviously really kind of turned the game,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
Leo Jiménez also hit a two-run homer, and Alejandro Kirk and Spencer Horwitz hit back-to-back homers for Toronto. This was the third time this season the Blue Jays hit consecutive home runs.
“It gets a little contagious,” Schneider said. Toronto has a record of 48-8 when scoring five or more runs.
All five home runs came against Carson Spiers (4-5). The right-hander allowed 13 hits and 10 runs, nine of them earned, in 4 1/3 innings, setting new career lows.
“A tough night,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Obviously, you feel for anyone to go through a night like that. He kept pitching. Just nothing went right.” Spiers’ ERA went up from 4.55 to 5.43 after this game.
“It’s a tough game,” Spiers said. “Ball didn’t bounce my way. All you can do is come back tomorrow and work your tail off.”
Toronto’s five-homer performance came exactly one year after the Blue Jays last hit that many, achieving the same feat against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene in a 10-3 win at Cincinnati. Springer also homered in that game.
Reds catcher Luke Maile pitched against his former team in the seventh inning and retired all six batters he faced. Maile got Davis Schneider to ground out on a 41 mph pitch to end the eighth.
It was Maile’s second pitching appearance in four days; he also pitched a scoreless ninth inning against Kansas City in Saturday’s 13-1 loss. Still, Bell found it hard to take much pleasure in Maile’s performance.
“I don’t like it at all,” Bell said of sending a position player to the mound. “Luke makes it easy because of his attitude, and he obviously does a good job, but I hate every bit of that.”
Berríos (12-9) gave up two runs and six hits, getting his first win in four career starts against the Reds. He said his recent success is because his pitching delivery is working well.
“We got good command with good direction to the plate,” Berríos said. “Tonight was another great night.”
Berríos won his previous start against the Angels on the road, getting a road win for the first time since April 20 at San Diego. He has a 9-2 record with a 2.81 ERA in 13 starts at home this season and a 3-7 record with a 4.91 ERA in 13 starts on the road.
Toronto scored first when Daulton Varsho hit a triple and scored on Will Wagner’s two-out single in the first inning.
Noelvi Marte tied the game with an RBI single off Berríos in the second inning, but Toronto responded with three runs in the bottom half. Joey Loperfido tripled and scored on Addison Barger’s double, and Springer hit his 15th home run.
Kirk and Horwitz added to the lead with two-out homers in the third inning. Kirk’s home run was his fourth, and Horwitz’s was his seventh.
Varsho was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning and scored on Marte’s fielding error at third base.
