Jays storm back to beat Mets
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays came back to defeat the visiting New York Mets 8-6 on Tuesday night.
Gurriel's homer came against reliever Tim Peterson (1-1) who retired his first two batters before hitting Randal Grichuk with a pitch. Gurriel, who had three RBIs in the game, followed with his fourth homer of the season.
The Blue Jays had trailed 5-0 and 6-1 before Yangervis Solarte tied the game with a three-run homer in a five-run seventh.
John Axford (2-1), who allowed a hit and a walk in 1 2/3 innings, got the win.
Tyler Clippard got the final out in the ninth to earn his sixth save.
Asdrubal Cabrera and Devin Mesoraco hit two-run homers and Wilmer Flores added a solo shot for the Mets.
Former Blue Jays star Jose Bautista walked three times, singled and scored once in five plate appearances. He also committed an error in right field.
Mets starter Zack Wheeler allowed two runs, three hits and three walks and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings.
Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada was removed after one-third of an inning with a sore left hip. X-rays were negative. He gave up two runs on a hit and a walk.
Bautista received a standing ovation from the crowd in his first game in Toronto since he finished a nine-year stint with the Blue Jays in 2017. The Mets right fielder walked and scored on Cabrera's 15th homer of the season.
Estrada had an 0-2 count on Michael Conforto when he was removed from the game in obvious discomfort.
Jake Petricka replaced Estrada and allowed a double to Dominic Smith and the eighth homer of the season by Mesoraco in the second inning.
Preston Guilmet took over in the fourth and allowed a leadoff homer to Flores, his seventh of the season, to give the Mets a 5-0 lead.
The Blue Jays scored once in the fifth. Russell Martin walked, Devon Travis was hit by a pitch and Curtis Granderson doubled.
The Mets added a run in the seventh. Joe Biagini walked Brandon Nimmo and Bautista with one out. Aaron Loup, Toronto's sixth pitcher of the game, allowed a two-out RBI double to Conforto.
Toronto scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game. Grichuk singled and continued to third when the ball bounced past Bautista for an error. Grichuk scored on Gurriel's groundout to first against Anthony Swarzak, who replaced Wheeler.
Swarzak walked Travis and allowed a double to Granderson. A wild pitch scored Travis and moved Granderson to third. Teoscar Hernandez walked. Robert Gsellman replaced Swarzak and was greeted by Solarte's 16th homer of the season.
--Field Level Media
