Toronto, ON – Edwin Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI and J.P. Arencibia added three hits, including a homer, and drove in a pair of runs as the Toronto Blue Jays pounded the Colorado Rockies, 8-3, in the middle test of a three-game set at Rogers Centre.
Maicer Izturis added a solo homer and Adam Lind drove in a run and scored once for the Blue Jays, winners in seven straight games.
Esmil Rogers (3-2), who carried a no hitter into the sixth inning, gave up three runs -- two earned -- on four hits while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings.
"His sinker, I think, is the biggest difference," Arencibia said of Rogers. "Earlier guys could jump on his fastball -- he had a straight fastball -- and now he's sinking it so you really have to respect that. He can sink a right- hander in and then they have to respect that and now he's throwing 96-mph fastballs down and away to strike them out."
Wilin Rosario and Nolan Arenado had one RBI apiece for the Rockies, losers in five of their last seven games.
Jeff Francis (3-2) was charged with all eight runs on 10 hits over six frames.
"I didn't execute the pitches," Francis said. "When you leave them up like that to those guys, they're going to make you pay. They got me early."
Toronto pushed four runs across in the first to jump out to a big lead. Encarnacion gave the Blue Jays the lead with an RBI double to center field. Lind followed with a base hit to score Encarnacion. After Mark DeRosa doubled to put runners at second and third, Rajai Davis singled to left to plate Lind. Arencibia capped the inning with an RBI double to left field.
Toronto added two more in both the fifth and sixth innings.
In the fifth, Cabrera singled before Encarnacion crushed Francis' offering over the wall in left field.
Arencibia and Izturis added back-to-back homers in the sixth to make it 8-0.
The Rockies finally broke through in the seventh. Carlos Gonzalez opened the inning with a ground-rule double to left field. After Michael Cuddyer singled to put runners on the corners, Rosario laced a base hit to left to plate Gonzalez.
Arenado followed two batters later with a ground out to first base, but it was enough to score Cuddyer. Rosario later scored on an Izturis throwing error to make it a five-run game.
Game Notes
Toronto was 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position ... With the win, the Blue Jays (34-36) moved within two games of .500 for the first time since they were 7-9 on April 18 ... Cuddyer extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games ... The game took just two hours and 20 minutes.
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