Red-hot Blue Jays sweep A's for 11th straight win
The Toronto Blue Jays extended their dominant winning streak to 11 and increased their American League East lead to a full game after finishing off a sweep of the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
Blue Jays shortstop Ryan Goins, starting in place of Troy Tulowitzki, hit a three-run homer off Oakland starter Jesse Chavez in the second inning to pace Toronto's attack in the 4-2 win.
Thursday's victory was Toronto's third straight sweep and marked the first time a team has posted two winning streaks of at least 11 games in the same season since Cleveland did it in 1954.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
The Blue Jays have outscored their opponents 59-22 during their 11-game run, which matches the season-high streak they put together in early June.
Veteran left-hander Mark Buehrle continued a run of strong outings from Blue Jays starters by allowing two earned runs and a pair of walks over seven solid innings. Toronto's rotation has now allowed three earned runs or fewer in 17 straight games - one shy of matching the franchise record set in 1991.
Blue Jays' rotation last 17 starts
| Pitcher | IP | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Price | 15.0 | 18 | 0.60 |
| R.A. Dickey | 28.0 | 17 | 1.29 |
| Mark Buehrle | 26.2 | 9 | 3.71 |
| Marco Estrada | 18.2 | 14 | 1.45 |
| Drew Hutchison | 17.0 | 12 | 4.24 |
On Wednesday, Toronto became the first AL team with multiple 10-game winning streaks in the same season since the Kansas City Royals accomplished the feat in 1977.
Related: Blue Jays' surge makes them favorites to win World Series
The league's highest-scoring offense entered the series finale with the added benefit of not facing Athletics ace Sonny Gray, who was scratched hours before first pitch because of back spasms. Toronto's latest win improved its run differential to an MLB-best 140 through 116 games.
The second-place New York Yankees are in Cleveland on Thursday to complete their three-game series with the Indians.