{"id":44024,"date":"2017-09-22T08:05:49","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T08:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=44024"},"modified":"2017-09-22T08:05:49","modified_gmt":"2017-09-22T08:05:49","slug":"vargas-4-relievers-toss-2-hitter-royals-beat-jays-1-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/mlb\/vargas-4-relievers-toss-2-hitter-royals-beat-jays-1-0.html","title":{"rendered":"Vargas and 4 relievers toss 2-hitter, Royals beat Jays 1-0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vargas and 4 relievers toss 2-hitter, Royals beat Jays 1-0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Jason Vargas turned in his best performance in months to pick up his third win in three starts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vargas and four relievers combined on a two-hitter, Melky Cabrera had three hits and the game’s only RBI, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 1-0 on Thursday night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vargas (17-10) struck out seven in 6 1\/3 innings to win his third straight start. None of the three batters he walked advanced beyond first base.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He definitely was lights out tonight,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Blue Jays, who were blanked for the seventh time, did not have a runner reach scoring position. Their two hits matched a season low.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We didn’t hit a lick, that’s for sure,” manager John Gibbons said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vargas worked with pitching coach Dave Eiland on adjusting his mechanics after a five-start stretch from Aug. 8 until Sept. 5 in which he allowed 29 earned runs in 28 1\/3 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He’s been really good from that point on,” Yost said. “He’s been downhill. He’s been changing speeds well.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Vargas hadn’t had a scoreless outing since a complete-game shutout of Cleveland on June 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gibbons said Vargas did a good job of keeping the Blue Jays off balance.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He knows when to add and subtract on his pitches, can lull you to sleep away and then shoot that fastball in,” Gibbons said. “He got us a few times tonight doing that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Kendrys Morales hit a leadoff single in the second and was promptly erased on a double play, with Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar using his glove to flip the ball to second baseman Whit Merrifield.<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s why he’s got a gold patch on the back of his glove,” Vargas said of Escobar, a Gold Glove winner in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Darwin Barney had the only other hit off Vargas, a leadoff single in the fifth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Royals, who have 10 games remaining, remained 3 1\/2 games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild card spot after the Twins beat Detroit 12-1. Los Angeles and Texas are both ahead of Kansas City.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s a tough road ahead of us but I think we can do it,” reliever Mike Minor said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kansas City’s run came in the third against Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ (9-11). Alex Gordon walked with one out and advanced to second on a two-out single by Lorenzo Cain before Cabrera hit an RBI single to center.<\/span><\/p>\n

The inning ended with Eric Hosmer at the plate when Cabrera was caught stealing. Cain broke for home as Cabrera got in a rundown, but first baseman Justin Smoak tagged Cabrera before Cain could cross home plate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Happ allowed one run in 6 2\/3 innings to lose for the first time in four September starts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vargas left after Morales grounded out to begin the seventh. Peter Moylan got one out and Ryan Buchter came on to retire pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joakim Soria pitched the eighth. Minor finished for his second career save<\/span><\/p>\n

“Everybody who stepped out there did their job quite admirably,” Yost said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Minor, who first save came in the Sept. 15 game that ended Cleveland’s 22-game winning streak, retired Toronto sluggers Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak and Jose Bautista.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bautista struck out swinging to end the sixth. It was his 160th strikeout, breaking a tie with Jose Canseco (1988) and Kelly Johnson (2012) for the Blue Jays’ single season record.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hosmer was called out to end the eighth when he accidentally kicked his own infield chopper into foul territory while running to first.<\/span><\/p>\n

SOUTHPAW STRUGGLES<\/span><\/p>\n

The Blue Jays are 14-23 against left-handed starters.<\/span><\/p>\n

UNDER .500<\/span><\/p>\n

With their 82 loss, Toronto guaranteed its first losing record since going 74-88 in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

DOUBLING OVER<\/span><\/p>\n

Kansas City grounded into two double plays. The Royals have hit into an ML-leading 147 double plays this season, two more than Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/span><\/p>\n

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (8-12, 5.05) starts the opener of a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox. Hammel is 4-6 with a 5.14 ERA on the road this season. RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-3, 4.84) starts for the White Sox.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada (9-8, 4.84) starts the opener of Toronto’s final home series, a three-game set against the New York Yankees. Estrada, who is 5-1 with a 3.75 ERA in his past 10 starts, signed a $13 million deal Wednesday to stay with Toronto in 2018. RHP Masahiro Tanaka (12-11, 4.73) starts for New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/2017\/09\/21\/vargas-and-4-relievers-toss-2-hitter-royals-beat-jays-1-0\/105866590\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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