Tulowitzki, Blue Jays slug their way back into series
The Toronto Blue Jays' offense got its groove back and it was a vindicated middle infielder who played the role of hero.
Less than 48 hours after watching a crucial pop up land on the grass in front of him, Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins helped get his team's back off the wall with an 11-8 win over the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday.
Goins provided a solo shot and drove in three as the Blue Jays used a multi-homer barrage to chase Royals starter Johnny Cueto early and breathe new life into the series.
Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson also homered for Toronto, which won its second straight game at Rogers Centre.
Kansas City made things interesting by scoring four runs in the ninth, before Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna induced back-to-back ground outs to preserve the win.
Top Performer: Goins got the Blue Jays on the board in the second after driving home a pair with his RBI double. He added his first career postseason home run in the fifth, launching a 399-foot shot into the right-field seats. After going 0-for-17 during the division series, Goins has a hit in all three games in the ALCS and finished the night 2-for-4.
Starting Pitchers: Coming off his best start with the Royals, Cueto reverted back to his struggling form in what was a short-lived, nightmare outing for the right-hander. Cueto was tagged for eight runs off six hits and four walks in just two innings before he was yanked in the third after allowing the first five hitters to reach base without recording an out. The 29-year-old is the first pitcher in postseason history to allow at least eight earned runs and 11 baserunners in two or fewer innings pitched, according to ESPN.
Marcus Stroman picked up the first postseason win of his young career, but was far from sharp. The 24-year-old allowed four runs off a career-high 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings before exiting with a runner on in the seventh.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroman | 6.1 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Cueto | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
Key Moment: Toronto had Cueto on the ropes in the second before delivering the final blow in Round 3. With a pair of runners on, Tulowitzki clubbed a three-run homer to put the Blue Jays up 6-2. It was the second three-run home run of the postseason for Tulowitzki, who became the first player in franchise history to do so. It wasn't all good for him, however, as he was ejected in the eighth inning for arguing a strike-three call with home plate umpire John Hirschbeck.
(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)
Up Next: The Blue Jays will look to even the series Tuesday afternoon when they send 40-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (0-0, 1.93 ERA) to the mound. The Royals counter with the elder statesman of their own rotation, 36-year-old Chris Young (0-0, 2.25), who's making his first start of the postseason. The right-hander allowed one run off three hits over four innings of relief in Game 1 of the ALDS.