TORONTO (AP) - A bad night by the bullpen brought an end to the Toronto Blue Jays’ winning streak.
Steve Delabar issued a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning and Brett Cecil gave up the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Blue Jays 4-3 on Friday night, snapping Toronto’s winning streak at a season-high five games.
Mike Trout hit a solo home run and Raul Ibanez drove in the tiebreaking run in the ninth as the Angels won their fifth straight in Toronto.
“That’s where we’ve struggled this year, throwing strikes out of the bullpen,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “If they beat you, make them hit it to beat you.”
Delabar didn’t do that, throwing six straight balls when he came on in relief of Sergio Santos with the bases loaded.
“When I released the ball, I thought it was in the zone but it was nowhere close,” Delabar said. “Can’t explain it.”
Erick Aybar had three hits and scored twice, including the decisive run in the ninth, as the Angels won for the eighth time in nine meetings with the Blue Jays
Aybar tripled off Cecil (0-3) to begin the ninth and Trout reached safely when first baseman Encarnacion couldn’t find the bag after taking the throw on Trout’s infield grounder. Albert Pujols was intentionally walked to load the bases for Ibanez, who scored Aybar with a fly ball to left.
Joe Smith (2-0) got the win despite giving up a game-tying homer to Jose Reyes in the eighth. For Smith, it was his first appearance since May 3 after being sidelined with a sore muscle in his right side.
“After not being out there for a couple of days it felt a little awkward,” Smith said. “I missed with a pitch right down the middle and that’s what happens.”
Toronto took an early lead against right-hander Garret Richards. Reyes led off the first with a single, moved to second when Melky Cabrera walked and came around to score on two wild pitches.
The Angels tied it in the second when Efren Navarro hit a two-out double and scored on Collin Cowgill’s single.
Trout made it 2-1 with a leadoff homer in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the bottom half on Richards’ third wild pitch of the game, with Cabrera coming home after the ball bounced away from catcher Hank Conger.
The Angels thought they had reclaimed the lead in the fifth when Ibanez slid home after a wild pitch by Toronto’s Dustin McGowan sailed to the backstop. Gibbons challenged the call by plate umpire Angel Hernandez and Ibanez was ruled out after a replay review that took 3 minutes, 20 seconds.
McGowan allowed two runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out two.
“I thought he labored most of the night,” Gibbons said.
Los Angeles broke the tie with a run off Santos in the seventh. Aybar doubled and went to third on a grounder before Pujols was intentionally walked. After Ibanez walked to load the bases, Delabar came on and walked Howie Kendrick on four pitches.
Richards allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out six.
“Richards is one of the best young pitchers in the game,” Gibbons said. “He can overpower you.”
NOTES: Blue Jays 3B Brett Lawrie (right hamstring) missed his fourth straight game. … Toronto has hit at least one home run in nine straight games. … The Blue Jays wore red caps to mark Canada’s National Day of Honour, a tribute to those who fought in the war in Afghanistan. A moment of silence was held before the anthems. … Angels LH Tyler Skaggs (2-1) faces Toronto LH J.A. Happ (1-0) on Saturday.
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