(Minneapolis) José Berríos walked five times and went all the way to the sixth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays beat his former team, the Minnesota Twins, 3-0 on Sunday to win their first series in four attempts.
“Hopefully that gets us going,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after the team’s 17th game in as many days.
Alejandro Kirk hit a two-run single in the second inning that kept Berríos (5-4) up front.
In the eighth inning, Varsho jumped over the center field wall to steal a home run from Carlos Correa.
“It was magnified yesterday, but I’m thrilled it can be celebrated today,” Schneider added.
Jordan Romano recorded his 12th save on a scoreless ninth inning, allowing only a single to rookie Matt Wallner.
The Blue Jays (28-26), who sit in last place in the American East Division, have improved to 10-17 in their last 27 games.
With Alek Manoah struggling at the helm of the rotation, the Blue Jays need several more starts like that of Berríos, who was traded by the Twins at the deadline two years ago. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.30 ERA in his last five starts, including four wins for the Blue Jays.
“There are tough times in the year, and for us that’s the case right now,” Varsho said. I hope we can wake up here and end the year with a bang. »
Bailey Ober (3-2) completed six innings for the Twins for the fourth time in five starts in May. He allowed five hits and struck out eight batters.
“Every time we had chances, every time we were able to do something, we felt like we were going in the wrong direction,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.
