Happ Wins 3rd Straight, Jays Hit 3 HRs, Beat Pirates 7-1
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TORONTO (AP) — J.A. Happ pitched six innings to win his third straight start, Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-1 Sunday.
Justin Smoak and Darwin Barney added solo homers for the Blue Jays, who have won nine of 13 at home.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle returned after spending the past two days at funeral services for late slugger Don Baylor.
Happ (6-8) allowed one run and four hits, walked three and struck out eight, improving to 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA in August.
Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen and David Freese hit consecutive singles off Happ in a shaky first, but the former Pirate allowed just two baserunners over the next four innings.
The Blue Jays scored five runs off Chad Kuhl (5-8) in a bat-around first inning. Jose Bautista drew a leadoff walk and scored when Donaldson homered off the facing of the third deck in left. Measured at 452 feet, it was Donaldson's longest homer of the season.
Ryan Goins hit a two-run double and later scored on a delayed steal of home, beating the return throw after Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli unsuccessfully threw to second base trying to catch Kevin Pillar.
Kuhl had won his previous two starts. He allowed four earned runs in five innings.
Barney connected in the sixth, and Smoak hit his 32nd in the seventh. Both came off Wade LeBlanc.
Pittsburgh managed just one hit after the first, and none in the final five innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: McCutchen started at DH after leaving Friday's game with a sore left knee. He went 1 for 3 with a walk. ... OF Gregory Polanco (left hamstring) was held out of the starting lineup. He left Saturday's game in the fifth.
Blue Jays: Toronto put RHP Dominic Leone on the bereavement list and recalled LHP Matt Dermody from Triple-A Buffalo.
UP NEXT
Pirates: After a day off Monday, Pittsburgh begins a two-game series at Milwaukee on Tuesday. RHP Ivan Nova (10-9, 3.87) will start for the Pirates, facing Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-1, 1.50).Nova is 0-3 with a 7.25 ERA in his past four starts.
Blue Jays: RHP Nick Tepesch (0-2, 9.00) starts the opener of a four-game series against Tampa Bay. Tepesch allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in his Toronto debut against the Yankees last Wednesday. RHP Jake Odorizzi (6-5, 4,38) starts for the Rays.
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