Blue Jays beat A’s 7-1, improve to 5-0 vs Oakland this year

After missing almost the entire 2017 season with blisters on his pitching hand and much of 2018 with an injured right index finger that needed surgery, Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez could be forgiven for being concerned when he was forced from a start at Oakland last weekend because of a broken fingernail.

He recovered to allow two hits over five innings Saturday in the Blue Jays’ 7-1 win over the Athletics.

“When I came out last game, we kind of caught it at the right time so it was fine going into today,” he said. “It just bothers me a little bit and I was only going five, but it will be all right.”

Sanchez (3-1) struck out four and walked four. He lowered his ERA to 2.32.

Sam Gaviglio gave up two hits in three innings, and Daniel Hudson finished the four-hitter with a hitless ninth.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts in his second big league game, while Brandon Drury had three hits a day after his winning ninth-inning home run. Randal Grichuk and three hits and two RBIs for Toronto, 5-0 against the A’s this season.

Brett Anderson (3-2) allowed six runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, dropping to 0-3 in his career against Toronto.

“My velocity was the best it has been all year,” he said. “It was coming out of my hand good, I just wasn’t able to command it like I usually am.”

Anderson became the first pitcher to face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who was 1 for 5 against him.

Guerrero was moved up a slot to cleanup and came to the plate with the bases loaded in the first. Teoscar Hernández grounded to third baseman Matt Chapman, who threw to second for a forceout, but second baseman Jurickson Profar’s throw to first trying for a double play was sailed to the home plate side of the base for an error that allowed a second run to score. Umpires originally called interference on Grichuk sliding into Profar, but the call was reversed on a video review.

Toronto doubled its lead in the second when Eric Sogard drove in Danny Jansen with a drag bunt and Grichuk hit an RBI single.

“We have plenty of guys who can hit the long ball, but I think adding the small ball game into it is only going to make us better,” Sogard said.

Nick Hundley hit into a run-scoring forceout in the fifth, but Toronto boosted its lead to 6-1 in the bottom half on Rowdy Tellez’s RBI single and Jansen’s sacrifice fly.

Grichuk hit an RBI double off Liam Hendriks in the sixth.

WHOOPS

On Hundley’s seventh-inning single between first and second base, Drury started to run toward the ball only to collide with umpire Larry Vanover.

UP NEXT

RHP Chris Bassitt (1-0) starts Sunday for Oakland and RHP Trent Thornton (0-3) for Toronto. Thornton, seeking his first big league win, has allowed 13 runs in 12 2/3 innings.

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