Nathan Lukes’ RBI singled in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted the Toronto Blue Jays past the visiting San Diego Padres 7-6 on Thursday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep.
Daulton Varsho had tied the game with an RBI triple against reliever Jeremiah Estrada (1-3) after San Diego had taken a 6-5 lead on Gavin Sheets’s RBI single in the top of the 11th. The Padres have lost six games in a row.
Sheets tied the game in the ninth with his second two-run homer of the game. Toronto reliever Braydon Fisher (1-0) got the final out of the 11th, replacing Brendon Little.
Addison Barger had three hits and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who completed a 5-4 homestand to move to one game above .500 for the first time since April 21, when they were 12-11.
San Diego snapped a streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings in the second to take a 2-0 lead in the second. Jackson Merrill led off with a single and Sheets homered to right against right-hander Bowden Francis.
Toronto scored twice in the third after Tyler Heineman and Bo Bichette singled against right-hander Stephen Kolek. Varsho’s grounder to first base bounced off Sheets’s glove for an error and a run scored. Barger’s single tied the game.
Toronto took a 4-2 lead in the fourth. Jonatan Clase walked, Heineman hit a one-out single and Bichette stroked an RBI single to center. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Varsho hit a sacrifice fly to center that was run down by Merrill.
Kolek retired his final five batters to finish six innings with four runs (three earned), seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
San Diego’s Luis Arraez doubled against Yimi Garcia with two outs in the eighth to extend his hit streak to nine games.
Jeff Hoffman walked Merrill to open the ninth and Sheets homered to center for 4-4.
Automatic runner Jose Iglesias took third on pinch hitter Xander Bogaerts’ groundout against Little in the top of the 10th. Arraez hit an RBI single to center to end San Diego’s 0-for-38 drought with runners in scoring position.
Robert Suarez allowed Clase’s leadoff single to tie the game in the home 10th.
–Field Level Media
