TORONTO (AP) — Daniel Vogelbach had two hits and two RBIs, Chris Bassitt pitched five innings to remain unbeaten in five career starts against Pittsburgh and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Pirates 5-4 on Sunday.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Davis Schneider each had an RBI and Daulton Varsho scored twice as the Blue Jays took two of three from Pittsburgh.
“The way we’re playing right now is good and there’s always room to get better,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
Bassitt (6-6) allowed three runs and eight hits, extending his winning streak to three starts. He walked one and struck out seven.
The Pirates put at least one runner on base in every inning against Bassitt but the right-hander pitched out of jams, escaping a bases-loaded situation in the second.
“That ended up being the game,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We left eight guys on in the first (four) innings. We had the ability to capitalize.”
Pittsburgh finished 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners stranded.
Bassitt is 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five career starts against the Pirates.
Chad Green, Trevor Richards and Nate Pearson each pitched one inning of relief. Yimi García pitched around Rowdy Tellez’s two-out RBI single in the ninth for his third save in four chances.
Tellez reached base four times and drove in all four runs, but the Pirates lost for the fourth time in six.
Recalled from Triple-A to face the Blue Jays, Pirates right-hander Quinn Priester (0-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. Priester walked none and struck out three.
“When I missed my spots, that’s when they were able to capitalize,” Priester said.
Guerrero started at third base for the first time since the final game of his rookie season in 2019. He had made just two appearances at third since then, playing just four innings there.
“It’s not a position change by any means,” Schneider said. “I think it just offers some flexibility.”
Guerrero fielded the only two balls hit his way Sunday, retiring Nick Gonzales for the first out of the seventh and getting pinch hitter Yasmani Grandal to begin the eighth.
“I signed as a third baseman so it is my favorite position,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “But I’m the kind of player who thinks that if you can play both corners, first and third, the right way, that will give your manager and your team more options.”
Guerrero, who won the AL Gold Glove at first base in 2022, moved to first base in the ninth inning Sunday. Isiah Kiner-Falefa went from second to third.
In a pregame interview with MLB Network Radio, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Guerrero could make some starts at third in an attempt to add more offense to Toronto’s struggling lineup. The Blue Jays entered play Sunday with the third-fewest runs scored in the AL.
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Pirates opened a roster spot for Priester by putting infielder Alika Williams (right wrist) on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 30.
UP NEXT
Pirates: Right-hander Jared Jones (3-5, 3.55 ERA) is expected to start Tuesday as Pittsburgh hosts the Dodgers in the opener of a three-game series. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (6-3, 3.04) is scheduled for Los Angeles.
Blue Jays: Right-hander Kevin Gausman (4-3, 4.14 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday in the opener of a four-game series against Baltimore. The Orioles had not announced a starter.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Ian Harrison, The Associated Press
