Berrios, Escobar lead Twins to 5-0 win

Published 8:11 am Wednesday, July 25, 2018

TORONTO — Jose Berrios and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run home run and the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Berrios (10-7) allowed four hits, three of them singles, in seven innings. He walked one and struck out nine to win for the second time in three starts. Trevor Hildenberger worked the eighth and Ryan Pressly finished for the Twins, who have won two straight following a three-game losing streak.

Escobar went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and scored twice. His double in the sixth was his major league-leading 37th. Esocbar homered off John Axford in the eighth, his 15th.

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Blue Jays rookie left-hander Ryan Borucki (0-2) retired the first 10 batters he faced before Eddie Rosario and Brian Dozier hit back-to-back singles in the fourth. Borucki retired the next two batters to end the threat.

Toronto left fielder Teoscar Hernandez dropped Joe Mauer’s fly ball to begin the sixth for a two-base error. Mauer advanced on a grounder and scored on Dozier’s sacrifice fly.

Escobar and Robbie Grossman followed with consecutive doubles, making it 2-0.

Called up from Triple-A Buffalo to make his fifth career start, Borucki allowed two runs — none earned — and six hits in six innings. He has received 10 runs of support over his five outings. Eight of those runs came in a July 13 start at Boston, a game Toronto won 13-7.

Toronto infielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2 for 4, matching Al Woods’ 1977 Blue Jays record with his seventh straight multihit game.

Up next

Twins RHP Ervin Santana will be activated off the disabled list to make his season debut against Blue Jays RHP Sam Gaviglio (2-3, 4.59) in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale. Santana had surgery on his right middle finger in February. Gaviglio is winless in 10 starts.