Alonso hit his 40th home run of the season and delivered the go-ahead blast in the eighth inning as Baltimore rallied for a 4-3 win over Toronto.
Pete Alonso turned a strong Blue Jays start into another costly loss Monday night, hitting two home runs as the Baltimore Orioles rallied for a 4-3 win over Toronto.
Alonso’s second homer was a two-run shot in the eighth inning off Tyler Rogers, putting Baltimore ahead for good. His first came against Toronto starter Trey Yesavage, who returned after knee inflammation sent him to the injured list in early August.
The loss left Toronto 3 1/2 games behind the idle Chicago White Sox for the American League’s final wild-card spot, bringing the Blue Jays closer to playoff elimination.
Toronto’s three-run start could not hold
The Blue Jays scored three times in the first inning against Shane Baz. Nathan Lukes and George Springer hit RBI singles, while Sean Keys added a sacrifice fly.
Baz settled down after the opening frame and held Toronto scoreless through the rest of his outing, working into the seventh inning. Gunnar Henderson’s sixth-inning home run cut into the lead before Alonso delivered Baltimore’s decisive hit.
Yennier Cano earned the win in relief, and Rico Garcia worked a perfect ninth for his 10th save.
Alonso reaches 40 home runs for the fourth time
Monday’s second homer gave Alonso 40 for the season, the fourth time he has reached that mark. He also opened a nine-RBI lead over Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and moved within one home run of Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero for the American League lead.
Alonso’s go-ahead blast also made him only the second right-handed hitter to homer off Rogers over the last two seasons.
Baltimore is itself on the verge of elimination from the American League wild-card race, but Alonso has continued to produce in his first season with the Orioles. His two biggest hits came after Toronto controlled the opening inning.
Toronto also loses Bateman to injury
Rookie Brett Bateman left in the second inning after making a sliding catch in centre field. X-rays were negative, though the hip injury added another concern for Toronto.
Yesavage pitched only two innings and allowed Alonso’s first-inning homer. Max Scherzer is scheduled to start Tuesday night for the Blue Jays against Baltimore’s Chris Bassitt.
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