Blue Jays pound Diamondbacks 7-2 in Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel’s return to Toronto

Things worth mentioning…

• The main storyline of this game was Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel making their return to Toronto for the first time since being traded to the Diamondbacks for Daulton Varsho in the off-season. Gurriel received a warm reception from Blue Jays fans as he came to the plate for his first at-bat and he went 1-for-4 with a single. Moreno hit a solo homer to tie the game in the seventh inning and gunned out George Springer when he was trying to steal second base earlier in the game.
• Varsho quietly had himself a strong game against his former team as well. He went 1-for-3 and reached base on a hit-by-pitch and also threw out a runner at second base trying to turn a ball hit to left field into a double.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was still in Home Run Derby mode when this game started. In his first at-bat, he smashed a pitch from Ryne Nelson 107.4 miles per hour off of the bat and well over the wall in left centre field.
• The Blue Jays picked up 16 hits all told but struggled to cash their runners in, going 3-for-13 with men in scoring position. They finally exploded with a five-run seventh inning off of Arizona’s bullpen to pull out of reach after Moreno’s home run had tied the game. The inning was nearly over on a Brandon Belt ground ball but George Springer hustled into second base to kill a possible double play. After that, Vladdy singled Matt Chapman doubled, Whit Merrifield singled, Varsho was hit by a pitch, and Danny Jansen cashed in a run on an error. Everyone on the Blue Jays had a hit tonight, including Cavan Biggio, who singled in a pinch-hitting appearance late in the game.
• José Berríos allowed one earned run over five-and-one-third innings while scattering seven hits and one walk. Trevor Richards picked up five outs in the sixth and seventh innings and allowed Moreno’s solo homer. Nate Pearson and Jay Jackson both tossed scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth to close the game.

ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO