Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a go-ahead solo home run, Kevin Kiermaier added a grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back from losing a seven-run lead to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-7 on Sunday.
Guerrero’s homer in the seventh inning came off reliever Kevin Ginkel (6-2), ending his streak of 10 2/3 scoreless innings. The Blue Jays avoided being swept after dropping the series’ first two games.
“You have to stay focused,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “Even after they tied the game like they did, you can’t lose your concentration. I stayed focused, had a big at-bat, and helped the team.”
Guerrero and Ernie Clement each had three hits. Genesis Cabrera, Trevor Richards (2-1), Ryan Burr, Brendon Little, and Chad Green combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Green earned his sixth save, working around Christian Walker’s two-out single. “It was a strange game,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.
The D-backs trailed 7-0 going into the bottom of the fifth before scoring seven runs, highlighted by Ketel Marte’s grand slam and Eugenio Suarez’s game-tying two-run single. Yusei Kikuchi of Toronto gave up all seven runs.
Marte’s home run left his bat at 109.8 mph and traveled 443 feet, hitting the batter’s eye high above the center field wall. The All-Star second baseman had three hits.
The Blue Jays scored seven runs off Arizona ace Zac Gallen, including six earned runs, over 3 2/3 innings.
“We fell behind, but the guys didn’t give up, and that’s one of the great characteristics of this team,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “They’re hungry. They wanted to go out there and fight their way back into the game.”
