TORONTO – Canadian Joey Voto smashed a soaring home run in the eighth inning from a foul on the field on the right to give the Cincinnati Reds a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
With a 2-2 draw, the 38-year-old Voto, a native of Toronto, hit a crooked ball with one out, 2-0 on the line against Blue Jess’s right-back Yimi Garcia (0-3).
The blast was Votto’s first of the year. The six-time all-star player was activated from the list of injured by COVID-19 before the start of the series on Friday.
He finished the 3-for-11 series with a walk in the first inning in the final. Votto has made 12 career visits to Toronto and has 11 goals in 44 appearances, including four homeers.
Toronto (22-19) was aiming for its first series of the season before 42,323 at the Rogers Center against last-placed Reds (12-28).
The Reds closer to Art Warren enjoyed a 1-2-3 ninth inning for their second save. Cincinnati’s Alexis Diaz (2-0) won his two innings at work.
Toronto starter Yusei Kikuchi struggled in the first. He faced eight shots and threw 37 shots, while Cincinnati took a 2-0 lead.
Kikuchi took three of the first four strikes to get to the bases. Then Aristide Aquino hit two outs on the main double on the left field line.
Kikuchi calmed down to retire 10 in a row, while the red hunter Aramis Garcia led from the fifth with one field on the left.
The Blue Jace starter lasted 4 1/3 innings, hit seven, scored three and conceded two goals.
Toronto pulled to 2-1 in the second because of a double in the lead by Santiago Espinal and a goal on the right by Matt Chapman.
Blue Jace tied the game in the third. The field hit George Springer in his left elbow. He moved to second place in the wild and took third base after a long ball by Vladimir Guerrero to the center.
Springer scored on Bo Biche’s ball to Cincinnati’s short stop Kyle Farmer.
Springer made a good catch in the right center distance when Farmer hit in the sixth.
Cincinnati starter Graham Ashcraft made his Premier League debut with 4 1/3 innings. He made two runs on four hits, walked two, hit three and gave wild ground and hit Springer.
SANTIAGO’S ORDER – Espinal’s doubling in the second inning extended his streak to 15 games, the longest active streak in MLB.
In his impressive run, Blue Jays’ second baseman scored 29-52 (.365).
NEXT – The Blue Jays begin a two-match set in St. Louis against the Cardinals (23-18) on Monday, the first of six in a row. Toronto right-winger Jose Berios (3-2) will face his right-handed counterpart Miles Mikolas (3-2) at the opening of the series. Berios halted a two-game losing streak in his last outing with a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners last Tuesday.
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