Bautista saves Jays, who win in 10
CHICAGO -- The crowd stood and cheered in anticipation of a fourth straight win by the Chicago White Sox.
There were two outs in the ninth inning, the White Sox led the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4, and White Sox closer Addison Reed had a 1-2 count on Jose Bautista. Things looked good for the home team, but one pitch changed everything in what turned out to be a 7-5 Blue Jays win in 10 innings.
Bautista turned on a hanging slider and drove the ball 390 feet over the fence in left for a game-tying home run that left the home crowd stunned.
It was Toronto's second homer of the game, the first coming off Edwin Encarnacion's bat in the fifth to cut Chicago's lead to 5-4.
"It was a close game, and we had plenty of opportunities," Bautista said. "I don't think Edwin and I are the only ones who have to come through. A lot of different guys came through tonight. What (starting pitcher Chien-Ming) Wang did in there after giving up the five runs was unbelievable. A bunch of people did stuff. I don't think it was just those two situations where Edwin and I drove in the runs."
Brett Cecil retired the Sox in order in the ninth, the Blue Jays scored twice in the 10th off Chicago reliever Ramon Troncoso (0-1), and that was enough
Even so, it would be wrong to assume a win like this brought extra life into the Toronto clubhouse. The Jays still have a long way to go to climb out of the basement in the American League East.
"It's baseball season, we're happy tonight, and (Wednesday's) a new day," said first baseman Adam Lind, who was one of two Toronto hitters with three hits. "We have another tough game (Wednesday). Their ace (Chris Sale) is on the mound, so we know what we're in for."
Lind's fly ball in the 10th moved Rajai Davis from second to third, in position to score the game-winning run on a wild pitch by Troncoso. Maicer Izturis added an insurance run by scoring from first on Munenori Kawasaki's double to left -- but was safe only after Sox catcher Tyler Flowers dropped the ball on the tag.
"I never had it," Flowers said. "I had (an in-between) hop. I had a choice to either try to make a 'tweener hop and look like an idiot if I miss it or try and make the higher-percentage play and short-hop it. When I shortened the hop, I shortened the distance with the runner, so it sped things up. I never had a grip on it, and when he hit me, (the ball) came out."
Casey Janssen pitched a scoreless inning earn his 13th save, but not before putting two runners aboard and bringing hot-hitting Adam Dunn to the plate as the potential game-winning run.
Instead of cranking out his second homer of the game to win it, Dunn grounded out to short to end an entertaining game.
After Encarnacion's home off Sox starter Jose Quintana in the fifth, the score stayed 5-4 Chicago until Bautista's homer in the ninth.
Wang, whom the Jays added to the roster before the game, recently opted out of a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. If he can keep pitching as he did after Chicago's four-run fourth, in which Conor Gillaspie hit a three-run homer to right, he might get a more permanent spot in the Blue Jays rotation.
He settled into a rhythm after Gillaspie's home run and retired eight of the next nine hitters before leaving in the eighth. His final line: five runs on 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three.
"The velocity before (getting hurt) was 94 or 95, so my velocity dropped down, and I'm using more breaking balls to (throw) the hitters' timing (off)," said Wang, who's battled injuries after spending the first five years of his major league career with the Yankees and then signing with the Washington Nationals in 2011.
Dunn's homer in the second his fourth in as many games.
Quintana allowed four runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings for the White Sox, who were close to winning a fourth straight game for just the second time all season and the first time since mid-May.
NOTES: White Sox OF Dewayne Wise tested his injured hamstring by doing on-field running before the game and reported no issues. Chicago manager Robin Ventura said it's possible that Wise would be sent to Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment in the next few days. ... The Sox removed LHP Leyson Septimo from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted him to Triple-A Charlotte, which leaves Chicago with 39 players on the 40-man roster. ... The Blue Jays are inching closer to getting SS Jose Reyes back from a severely sprained left ankle. Reyes, who's been out since April 13, is headed to the team's spring training facility in Florida on Wednesday to begin simulated games. He'll eventually go on a minor league rehab stint of undetermined length. There's a chance Reyes could return before the end of June if all goes well. ... To clear a roster spot for Wang, the Blue Jays designated INF Andy Laroche for assignment. Also, C Henry Blanco was released by Toronto after being designated for assignment June 7. ... Blue Jays manager John Gibbons returned to the bench after a one-game absence. He left to attend his son's high school graduation.
