Toronto, ON – Mark Ellis and Yasiel Puig each homered as part of a five-run 10th inning that vaulted the red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers to a three-game interleague sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with an 8-3 triumph Wednesday at Rogers Centre.
Puig scored the game-tying run on Colby Rasmus' fielding error in the ninth before Brandon League (5-3) held the Jays hitless in the home half.
Toronto reliever Juan Perez (1-2) issued a one-out walk to Juan Uribe in the 10th before Ellis launched an 0-2 sinker over the wall in left. Two batters later, Puig drove a slider over the left-field wall to push the lead to 6-3.
Adrian Gonzalez followed with a walk and Hanley Ramirez ripped a double before Andre Ethier plated both runners with a double to left to make it 8-3.
"We just couldn't catch a break the whole game. We would get runners on, but just couldn't find a way to get them in. We should have had a lot more runs on the board than we did," said Ethier.
Kenley Jansen retired the Jays in order in the bottom of the 10th to secure the Dodgers' sixth straight victory.
Ethier collected four hits and two RBI, while Puig finished a triple shy of the cycle to go with two RBI and two runs scored for the Dodgers, who have won 10 straight on the road for the first time since winning 11 in a row away from home to open the 1955 season.
Brett Lawrie plated a pair of runs for the slumping Blue Jays, who have lost a season-high seven straight games. Six of those losses have come at home, marking the first time since Aug. 15-28, 2004 that the Jays have dropped six straight home games.
"Everybody comes in every day with a fresh mindset. We want to win, it is just not happening for us. We have to come back tomorrow with our heads up and just keep grinding," said Lawrie.
Toronto seemed to destined to snap its losing skid after pushing a run across in the eighth to take a 3-2 edge into the final frame.
Melky Cabrera led off the eighth with a single before being replaced by pinch- runner Rajai Davis, who promptly swiped second.
Jose Bautista followed with a sharp grounder toward first that Gonzalez made a diving stop on, but his throw to reliever Ronald Belisario covering first was off the mark and Davis raced home for a 3-2 lead.
Toronto closer Casey Janssen took the mound to start the ninth and issued a leadoff walk to Puig before fanning the next two Dodgers.
Ethier then laced a sinking liner into center that landed just in front of a charging Rasmus. Puig was prepared to stop at third, but the ball took a high hop off the turf and sailed over Rasmus' glove, allowing Puig score from first for the tying run.
Early on, the Dodgers plated a run in the second on Uribe's bases-loaded sacrifice fly before Puig doubled the lead with an RBI double in the third.
LA starter Ricky Nolasco held the Jays hitless over the first four frames, but ran into control issues in the fifth, as he issued consecutive one-out walks to Rasmus and Maicer Izturis.
After J.P. Arencibia flied out, Lawrie registered Toronto's first hit when he laced a double to center to plate both runners and tie the game at 2-2.
Game Notes
The Dodgers have gone 23-5 since June 22 to jump into first place in the NL West ... Nolasco allowed two runs on two hits and four walks over 5 2/3 frames ... Toronto starter Esmil Rogers yielded two runs on 10 hits over seven innings ... LA went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base ... It's the first time since 1979 that the Blue Jays have lost six in a row to begin the second half of a season ... LA placed outfielder Matt Kemp on the 15-day disabled list and activated pitcher Ted Lilly from the 15-day DL.