TORONTO 17
CLEVELAND 1
TORONTO 鈥� Russell Martin and Troy Tulowitzki each hit three-run home runs as the Toronto Blue Jays thumped the Cleveland Indians 17-1 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Blue Jays (45-39) earned a split in the four-game series against the Indians (49-32).
The 17 runs scored were the most Toronto鈥檚 earned since a 17-11 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 7, 2010.
J.A. Happ (11-3) threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, retiring 11 straight, striking out seven, after allowing a first-inning double to Jason Kipnis. He finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts while allowing one earned on five hits over seven innings for his fourth quality start of the season.
The Indians finally got to Happ in the seventh when Yan Gomes broke up the shutout with an RBI single.
Martin got the offence started in the first taking Corey Kluber鈥檚 2-1 pitch over the centre-field wall for a three-run home run, his seventh homer of the season.
The Blue Jays got to Kluber again in the fourth when Ezequiel Carrera scored on an Edwin Encarnacion sac-fly. Michael Saunders followed it up with his team-leading 23rd double of the season knocking Kluber from the game.
With Joba Chamberlain on in relief, Tulowitzki gave the Blue Jays a 5-0 lead scoring Carrera on a bases loaded sac-fly.
Kluber (8-8), who had won his previous two starts, went just 3 1/3 innings, allowing five earned-runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out four. It was the 30-year-old right-hander鈥檚 second shortest outing of the season.
Tulowitzki added to Toronto鈥檚 lead in the sixth, taking Tom Gorzelanny鈥檚 3-2 pitch into the second deck for his 14th long ball of the season, a three-run shot. The Blue Jays shortstop finished the day 3 for 5 with four runs batted in in the win.
Carrera and Josh Donaldson, Saunders and Russell Martin each delivered RBI singles in the sixth while Encarnacion scored Carrera on a ground rule double as the Blue Jays put up an eight spot 鈥� a season-high for a single inning this season.
After pitching a scoreless inning of relief in the seventh, Indians back-up catcher Chris Gimenez found himself in trouble with the heart of the Blue Jays lineup in the eighth.
Donaldson and Encarnacion each doubled giving the Blue Jays a 14-1 lead. Two batters later, Martin鈥檚 RBI single made it 15-1. Justin Smoak capped off a four-run inning with a two-run home run, his ninth of the season.
Encarnacion was suspended and fined by Major League Baseball earlier Sunday for making contact with an umpire in Friday鈥檚 2-1 loss to Cleveland, but the punishment was held in abeyance when he appealed the league鈥檚 decision.
