Scherzer wins 3rd straight start, Blue Jays use a big 1st inning for a 10-4 win over Twins

TORONTO (AP) — Max Scherzer pitched six innings and won his third straight start, Alejandro Kirk and Andres Gimenez homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Minnesota Twins 10-4 on Monday night.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a two-run single as the AL East-leading Blue Jays won for the 30th time in 39 home games.

Scherzer (5-2) allowed four runs and four hits, including two home runs. He struck out five and walked one. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 10-2 in 19 career starts against the Twins.

Minnesota’s Matt Wallner homered twice off Scherzer, his 18th and 19th, but the Twins lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Twins starter Joe Ryan gave up four runs and four hits in a shaky first inning. Bo Bichette hit an RBI single and a second run scored on Daulton Varsho’s sacrifice fly before Kirk hit a two-run homer, his 11th.

Giménez extended the lead with a 422-foot drive on Ryan’s first pitch of the second. The homer was Giménez’s sixth.

Ryan (12-7) matched a season high by allowing six runs and seven hits in five innings. He lost consecutive starts for the first time this season.

Wallner hit a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run drive in the sixth. It was his first mult-ihomer game of the season and the second of his career.

Guerrero started at designated hitter, his first start since leaving an Aug. 18 game at Pittsburgh because of a sore left hamstring. Guerrero popped out as a pinch hitter in Sunday’s loss at Miami.

Key moment

Kirk’s two-out, first-pitch homer in the first capped a four-run inning.

Key stat

The Blue Jays are 57-3 when they score five or more runs.

Up next

Blue Jays RHP Chris Bassitt (11-7, 4.18 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Twins RHP Bailey Ober (4-7, 5.05).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb