By Canadian Press

Captain Kirk: Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk homers twice in 6-5 win over White Sox

May 31, 2022 | 8:55 PM

TORONTO — Alejandro Kirk hit a pair of two-run homers to power Toronto to a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night and help the Blue Jays extend their winning streak to a season-high six games.

Kirk went deep off Chicago starter Lucas Giolito (3-2) in the second inning and connected again in Toronto’s four-run fifth.

It was Kirk’s third career multi-homer game. He also had a single and improved his batting average to .304.

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman threw five innings for the win, allowing three earned runs, six hits and a walk while striking out five.

Closer Jordan Romano, Toronto’s fifth reliever of the night, gave up back-to-back singles before earning his 16th save.

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Toronto (28-20) has won 10 of its last 13 games. The Blue Jays lead the major leagues with 15 one-run victories this season.

Andrew Vaughn, who had a game-high four hits, smacked a solo homer off Gausman (5-3) in the first inning and Jose Abreu followed with a one-out single. The Toronto starter settled in to retire the next seven batters he faced.

Toronto cleanup hitter Teoscar Hernandez led off the second with a double and scored when Kirk hit a rainbow homer that just cleared the wall in left field.

Vaughn and Abreu were at it again in the third inning but the Blue Jays escaped with the lead intact. Vaughn hit a two-out double and Abreu drove a ball to straightaway centre field that George Springer caught against the wall.

The White Sox pulled even in the fifth inning with Vaughn knocking in the go-ahead run.

Former Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire doubled to lead off the frame and scored on a Danny Mendick double. Vaughn drove in Mendick with a sharp single to give Chicago (23-24) a short-lived 3-2 lead.

Springer sparked Toronto’s rally in the bottom half with a check-swing flare that floated into shallow right field.

Bo Bichette sent him to third with a double and both scored easily when Hernandez hit a sinking liner that escaped the grasp of diving centre-fielder Adam Engel. Kirk then turned on a 2-1 pitch for his third homer of the season.

Chicago scratched out two more runs in the sixth but missed a golden opportunity to tie the game.

With McGuire on third base and Mendick at first with one out, Yasmani Grandal lifted a fly ball to left field. The ball was deep enough to score McGuire but Lourdes Gurriel Jr. threw to second to get Mendick trying to tag up on the play. 

Second baseman Cavan Biggio applied the tag for the double play before McGuire crossed the plate. 

Toronto’s baserunning skills weren’t much better in the bottom of the sixth.

With Biggio at third base and Bichette at second, both runners broke on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounder to the first-base side. 

Abreu gathered the ball and ran across the diamond as both runners were in no man’s land with Bichette eventually called out at third. Guerrero took second base on the play but Hernandez flew out to deep centre to end the threat.

Bichette made a nice play to help snuff a Chicago threat in the eighth inning. With two runners on, he backhanded a Grandal chopper and made a hard throw that Guerrero squeezed at first base after a one-hop for the final out.

Romano, from Markham, Ont., got Jake Burger to ground into a 5-4 double-play before striking out Gavin Sheets to end the game. 

Announced attendance was 25,424 and the game took three hours 24 minutes to play.

ANDERSON OUT

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was added to the 10-day injured list due to a right groin strain. He’s expected to miss at least three weeks.

Chicago activated outfielder Luis Robert off the COVID-19 injured list and placed right-handers Kendall Graveman and Dylan Cease on the restricted list.

The White Sox also recalled right-hander Kyle Crick from triple-A Charlotte and released left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who was placed on unconditional waivers on Monday.

ROSTER MOVES

Before the game, the Blue Jays recalled right-hander Trent Thornton from triple-A Buffalo and designated left-hander Ryan Borucki for assignment.

COMING UP

The game kicked off a six-game homestand for the Blue Jays, who are 15-8 at home this season.

Left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu (2-0, 5.48) is scheduled to start Wednesday night against Chicago right-hander Michael Kopech (1-1, 1.29). The teams will wrap the three-game series with a matinee on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2022. 

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press