MINNEAPOLIS, Minn .– Nick Gordon drove four runs, Michael Pineda won his third straight start and the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 on Thursday night, who were out of the wild-card spots for now. American League.
The loss was particularly costly for Toronto, which lagged one game behind New York for the second half and three games behind Boston, which now controls the first walk.
Cuban left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. left the game in the fifth inning after teammate Randal Grichuk accidentally stepped on his right hand on the grass.
Blue Jays starter Steven Matz allowed seven hits and two walks in just three innings. He threw 80 pitches in those innings and Toronto, whose manager Charlie Montoyo was serving a one-game suspension, had to turn to his relievers when trailing 2-1.
Reliever Thomas Hatch (0-1) took the loss. He worked a two-thirds inning, after Matz, and allowed three runs.
Gurriel had a hemorrhage on his middle finger, and Grichuk knelt close to him after he stepped on his hand with the spikes of his shoe. A kinesiologist came to examine the finger and wrapped a towel around Gurriel’s hand before the player left the field.
The Azulejos reported that according to the X-ray there was no fracture although two stitches had to be applied.
For the Blue Jays, Teoscar Hernández 4-2, two runs, one produced. Cuban Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2-1, an RBI. Venezuelan Breyvic Valera 2-1.
For the Twins, the Dominican Jorge Polanco 4-1, one scored, one RBI, and Miguel Sanó 3-1. Venezuelan Luis Arraez 2-1, an RBI.
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