Jays’ Bautista HRs again as Toronto tops Cleveland

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Jose Bautista homered for the second straight game and the Toronto Blue Jays benefited from nine walks in an 8-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Bautista’s two-run homer in the fourth was his sixth of the season and continued Toronto’s power surge. The Blue Jays have homered 14 times in winning five of their last six games. The damage could have been worse, but Toronto stranded 13 runners.

Jays starter Ricky Romero won despite not having his best stuff. Romero (3-1) struck out nine, but gave up a season-high five runs in six innings. He threw three wild pitches, hit a batter and was charged with a throwing error while attempting a pickoff.

Reliever Jensen Lewis (2-1) took the loss.

The Indians scored four runs in the third when six straight batters reached with two outs. Shin-Soo Choo’s two-run single and Jhonny Peralta’s two-run double gave Cleveland as many runs as it had in its previous 20 innings combined. The Indians have scored 47 of their 91 runs this year with two outs in an inning.

But Cleveland’s pitchers struggled finding the plate. Starter Jake Westbrook walked five in 32/3 innings and Lewis walked three in the sixth before allowing a run-scoring double to Alex Gonzalez.

Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth for his seventh save in as many chances. Toronto’s pitched struck out 13.

Cleveland was playing without leadoff hitter Asdrubal Cabrera, who’ll miss the next few days with a strained left quadriceps muscle. Cabrera is expected back Friday.

Toronto pitchers have allowed one homer in their last 89 innings, dating to April 24 at Tampa Bay.