Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer is tagged out at home plate by Toronto Blue Jays catcher Miguel Montero in the first inning at Rogers Centre.Dan Hamilton
The Minnesota Twins were up by only two runs through the first three innings in their rubber match Sunday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
It only felt like much, much more for Toronto starter Joe Biagini. Being down by only a pair of runs at the start of the fourth inning was the lone upside for the lanky right-hander during an otherwise spotty outing marking his return to the Blue Jays rotation.
Biagini's stint was short but definitely not sweet as the Twins rolled to a 7-2 win to take two of three in the weekend series. They depart Toronto with a half-game lead for the second American League wild card playoff spot, a notion the Blue Jays can only wish for.
Byron Buxton, the Twins' fine young centre fielder, drove in five runs, going 4-for-5 including three home runs in the first multihomer game of his career.
Sunday produced an overall disappointing showing by the home side.
The head-shakers included usually precise base runner Josh Donaldson getting picked off at first in the third inning and outfielder Nori Aoki misplaying a Joe Mauer single into a triple in the fourth.
Toronto lost despite striking out a season-high 17 batters as the Twins outhit the Blue Jays 14-7.
Aoki had three of those hits, including a home run in the fourth.
"It was a tough day for him, obviously," Toronto manager John Gibbons said of Biagini.
"I thought maybe he was overthrowing a bit too much because the ball was definitely up there in the zone and they barrelled them pretty good."
Biagini, who started the season in the bullpen, made the 12th start but first since July 2 when he was shellacked for seven runs off 10 hits during a 15-1 loss to the Red Sox.
After that, Biagini was sent back to the bullpen and eventually to Triple-A Buffalo in order to stretch him back out so he could fill a starter's role again with the big-league club.
He is obviously still a work in progress after surrendering five runs and nine hits over 3 2/3 innings.
"Good hitters being thrown bad pitches on a couple of occasions," Biagini said when asked to pinpoint the nature of his struggles.
Biagini then launched into a 4 1/2-minute verbal meander in which he touched on topics that included the need to be smarter on reading the swings of hitters, better "marrying" the stretch and windup deliveries, and being able to find that rhythm "wherever the baseball takes you in your life."
Reporters, the batteries on their tape recorders already drained, did not have any follow-up questions after that.
There was trouble right out of the chute for Biagini, beginning with Mauer, who stroked a one-out single to centre in the top of the first inning. Mauer wore out Toronto pitchers over the three games with eight hits in 15 at bats.
Mauer went to third on a sharp double to right by Jorge Polanco and then tested the arm of Ryan Goins, taking off for home when Eddie Rosario hit a grounder deep in the hole to short. Goins fired to the plate and Toronto catcher Miguel Montero made a nice tag to get the sliding Minnesota runner.
Biagini was not so fortunate with Buxton, whose single into centre scored Polanco to put Minnesota ahead 1-0.
Biagini loaded the bases when he walked Max Kepler, but got out of the jam when he struck out Kennys Vargas to retire the side.
Toronto got back into it in the bottom of the second when a single to centre by Aoki scored Montero, who lumbered home from second to tie the game 1-1.
Things got harried again for the Blue Jays in the top of the third where the Twins loaded the bases despite Rosario getting thrown out between home and third during an extended run-down.
A single by Vargas cashed in two more Minnesota runs to bring the score to 3-1.
Biagini walked his second batter of the inning to load the bases for a second time but tip-toed around that landmine when he struck out Brian Dozier.
Minnesota left seven baserunners stranded through the first three innings, 10 in total.
Biagini finally met his demise in the fourth inning that began with – who else? – Mauer, whose leadoff line drive to right got the better of Aoki, who allowed the ball to bounce over his head for a triple.
And when Buxton drilled a two-run line-drive home run to left field to make the score 5-1 Gibbons had seen enough and went to the bullpen with an early call.
The four-run lead was more than enough for Kyle Gibson, the Minnesota starter, who allowed two runs off seven hits over 6 1/3 innings to earn the victory.