Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie both went deep and the Toronto Blue Jays took the finale of a four-game set from the Los Angeles Angels, 7-3, on Monday.
Bautista helped Toronto strike first with a three-run homer in the first inning and Lawrie padded the cushion with a two-run blast in the sixth. Bautista had three hits and Juan Francisco drove in a pair of runs for the Jays, who had dropped the previous three games in this set.
Mark Buehrle (7-1), who entered as the AL leader with a 1.91 ERA, survived six hits and five walks to allow just a pair of runs in six-plus innings.
C.J. Cron homered for the Angels, who came up short of completing their first four-game sweep ever in Toronto. C.J. Wilson (4-3) struck out eight but yielded five runs on six hits to absorb the loss.
"Tough to lose any game, but overall I think we played a good series," said Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen, who pitched a scoreless inning in relief. "The bats were hot, we scored a lot of runs."
Steve Tolleson started the home half of the first with an infield single and Melky Cabrera walked. Bautista then stepped up and crushed a 2-1 offering well over the wall in left field, providing Buehrle with an early 3-0 lead.
The Angels got two of those runs back in the third inning, when Collin Cowgill walked and Grant Green singled for Mike Trout, who plated both runners when he ripped a two-out double to the wall in center.
But Lawrie's two-run shot in the sixth made it 5-2 and provided Toronto's bullpen all the insurance it would need.
"I'm just going up there looking to do damage and try and help the boys," said Lawrie. "That's the biggest thing, just trying to drive runs in when I can and when I'm given the opportunity to."
Green and Erick Aybar singled to start the seventh, and Buehrle exited with two on and no outs in favor of Steve Delabar. Trout struck out and Albert Pujols grounded into a double-play, ending the threat.
Cron's solo homer in the eighth off Delabar had the Angels within two, but Francisco's two-run single to center scored Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind to result in the final tally.
Delabar allowed just the one run in two innings and Casey Janssen worked a scoreless ninth to secure the victory.
Game Notes
The Angels had won seven straight in Toronto and 10 of 11 overall against the Blue Jays ... Albert Pujols went 1-for-16 with no runs or RBI in the series ... Toronto centerfielder Colby Rasmus left after the sixth inning with tightness in his right hamstring.
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