The Sports Xchange
May 29, 2017
TORONTO -- Troy Tulowitzki hit a grand slam, Justin Smoak belted a three-run blast, Marcus Stroman pitched six effective innings, and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Cincinnati Reds 17-2 Monday night.
Russell Martin added a two-run homer and an RBI double in his three-hit game, and Devon Travis had four hits and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 13 games for the Blue Jays (24-27).
Ezequiel Carrera added four singles, Smoak had three hits and four RBIs, and Kendrys Morales amassed three hits and four runs as the Blue Jays had 23 hits in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Adam Duvall homered for the Reds (24-26) in the sixth inning and has five homers over his past five games and 14 for the season. He also had an RBI single in the first inning.
Stroman (6-2) allowed five hits and two runs in six innings. The right-hander hit one batter and struck out five in winning his fifth straight decision over his past eight starts. He has not lost since April 18.
Reds starter Lisalverto Bonilla (0-3) allowed six runs on three hits and five walks in 2 1/3 innings.
Reds reliever Robert Stephenson gave up 10 hits, one walk and seven runs (six earned) in two innings.
The Blue Jays led 2-1 in the second after the fourth homer of the season by Martin, a drive just over the wall in the right-field corner that followed a single by Smoak.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs in the third on an infield single by Josh Donaldson and walks to Jose Bautista and Morales. Smoak's groundout scored Donaldson to make it 3-1 and Martin walked to load the bases again.
Bonilla was replaced by Stephenson, who allowed the fourth career grand slam and the second home run of the season by Tulowitzki on an 0-1 pitch.
Smoak hit his 12th homer of the season, a three-run shot, in the fourth inning to increase the lead to 10-1.
Travis led off the fifth with a double, took third on Carrera's single and scored on a balk. Carrera reached third on an obstruction call on a grounder to short by Kevin Pillar, who reached second.
Donaldson's groundout to shortstop scored Carrera. An infield hit by Bautista was followed by an RBI single by Morales that made it 13-1.
NOTES: Toronto LHP J.A. Happ (0-3, 4.50 ERA) is scheduled to return from the disabled list Tuesday to start against Reds RHP Asher Wojciechowski (1-0, 2.25 ERA), a former Blue Jays minor-leaguer. Happ went on the disabled list April 17 with elbow inflammation. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto, a Toronto native, received the Tip O'Neill Award from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame before the game, the sixth time he has won the award that is presented annually for individual and team accomplishments. ... Toronto OF/INF Chris Coghlan (lower back spasms) was a late scratch and was replaced in left field by OF Ezequiel Carrera.