05/23/26 05:09:00
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05/23 17:08 CDT Springer hits 65th leadoff homer as Blue Jays hand Skenes
back-to-back defeats, beat Pirates 5-2
Springer hits 65th leadoff homer as Blue Jays hand Skenes back-to-back defeats,
beat Pirates 5-2
By IAN HARRISON
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) --- George Springer hit his 65th leadoff home run and the Toronto
Blue Jays sent Paul Skenes to losses in consecutive starts for the first time
this season, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Saturday for their fourth
straight win and seventh in 10 games.
Skenes (6-4), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed four runs and a
career-high nine hits and one walk in five-plus innings with two strikeouts,
just his second time with fewer than five this season. His ERA rose to 3.00.
Skenes left after giving up four straight hits in the sixth. In his previous
outing, against Philadelphia on May 17, Skenes tied his big league high by
giving up five runs .
Tyler Heineman also homered for the defending AL champions, his first since
last July 19.
Patrick Corbin (2-1) allowed one run and five hits in six innings with a
season-high seven strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman struck out the side in the ninth for
his fifth save in eight chances.
Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy and manager Don Kelly were ejected in
separate incidents in the sixth. Murphy was tossed after plate umpire Alan
Porter initially missed a challenge request from catcher Henry Davis, while
Kelly was tossed for arguing a checked swing call.
Springer homered on Skenes' third pitch of the game, snapping the
right-hander's 15-inning road scoreless streak. Springer has five homers this
season and is second in leadoff homers by 81 by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.
Marcell Ozuna's two-out RBI double tied the score in the sixth, and the Blue
Jays took a 4-1 lead in the bottom half on Jess Snchez's run-scoring double,
Ernie Clement's RBI single and a run-scoring, double-play grounder by Andrs
Gimnez.
Up next
Blue Jays RHP Dylan Cease (3-2, 2.98 ERA) is scheduled to face Pirates RHP
Mitch Keller (4-2, 3.86) in Sunday's series finale.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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