TORONTO – The Blue Jays hit the pause button on the A’s good times Saturday, with a couple of their headliners doing the big damage.
Former Athletic Josh Donaldson homered and drove in four runs and Troy Tulowitzki went deep twice as Toronto won 9-3 to halt the A’s six-game winning streak. It also handed the A’s their first road defeat of 2016 after seven consecutive victories.
A’s starter Chris Bassitt turned in one of his roughest starts in an Oakland uniform, giving up a career-high nine hits and a tying his career high with six runs allowed over five innings.
Though the Blue Jays jumped ahead early and took away the scoreboard drama, there was some spice to this one. A’s reliever Liam Hendriks plunked Donaldson in the left leg with a pitch in the sixth. Donaldson appeared to glance toward the mound briefly as he started to head to first. He then appeared to send a message by trying to steal second on the very next pitch, which was fouled off by Jose Bautista.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, Jays starter J.A. Happ proceeded to hit Khris Davis in the ribs with his first pitch in the seventh, prompting home plate umpire Chris Conroy to warn both benches.
Starting pitching report:
Bassitt (0-1) was pitching with runners on base constantly in the first couple of innings, and the A’s were down 5-0 by the end of the second. Toronto scored twice in the second on four hits, though two of them were infield singles. Bassitt didn’t help matters with a wild pitch that moved two runners along. It got worse in the second. Kevin Pillar led off with a single, Ezequiel Carrera doubled as part of his four-hit day and Donaldson unloaded on a 2-0 pitch for a three-run homer to center. Tulowitzki led off the bottom of the fifth with a homer to left-center to put the Jays ahead 6-2.
Bullpen report:
Hendriks was a teammate of Donaldson’s last season with the Blue Jays, adding intrigue to the situation when he hit the reigning American League MVP. Whatever the case, it definitely caught Donaldson’s attention. He singled in a run in the eighth for his final RBI, and ran part of the way to first with one arm raised demonstratively.
At the plate:
The A’s took an early lead on Mark Canha’s first-inning homer to the opposite field. Canha has just four hits on the season, but three of them are homers. Coco Crisp singled home a run in the fourth to cut it to 5-2, but the A’s would get no closer.
In the field:
Both sides turned in some excellent plays throughout the game. Carrera had the best one, making a diving catch in left-center in the ninth, drawing a standing ovation from the home fans. Donaldson also had a diving backhand play in the first to throw out Davis. Canha made a leaping catch at the wall in right to rob Edwin Encarnacion.
Attendance:
A sellout crowd of 46,334 was on hand.
Up next:
Eric Surkamp (0-1, 3.68) will take the ball as the A’s close out this three-game series Sunday morning. He’ll oppose Drew Hutchison (0-0, 0.00), who is being called up from Triple-A for a spot start.
