Daulton Varsho hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Colorado Rockies 5-3 Saturday afternoon.
The teams have split the first two games of the three-game series.
Brenton Doyle hit a solo home run for the Rockies.
Colorado right-hander Dakota Hudson (0-3) allowed five runs, five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings.
Toronto right-hander Yariel Rodriguez made his major league debut and allowed one run, four hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
George Springer led off the first for Toronto with an infield single. Bo Bichette singled with one out to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Daniel Vogelbach walked to load the bases. Davis Schneider walked with two outs, forcing in a run. Varsho hit a drive to right for his second homer of the season and his second career grand slam.
Doyle hit a blast to the second deck in left field for his third home run of the season to lead off the third.
Rodriguez allowed two singles and struck out two in the fourth before being replaced by Bowden Francis (1-2).
Elehuris Montero singled to left and the bases were loaded. Elias Diaz, apparently thinking there was one out, advanced only to third instead of scoring on the hit that eluded Schneider’s dive on the left-field line and could have been a double. Doyle lined out to third to end the threat.
Colorado scored twice in the sixth on a two-run single by Brendan Rodgers, scoring Diaz, who had walked, and Nolan Jones, who had doubled.
Tim Mayza and Chad Green pitched a perfect seventh and eighth, respectively, for Toronto.
The Blue Jays’ Cavan Biggio singled in the eighth inning against Jake Bird to extend his hit streak to eight games.
Yimi Garcia struck out the side in the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
Colorado right fielder Kris Bryant (back tightness) left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. He ran into the fence making a catch in the first inning.
-Field Level Media
