Addison Barger delivered a walk-off single in the 11th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, extending the Blue Jays’ winning streak to seven games. The game, held at Rogers Centre, marked Toronto’s second consecutive win in extra innings, following a 4-3 win in 10 innings on Friday. The Blue Jays were listed as -150 favorites on the moneyline entering Saturday’s contest, while the Angels were +130 underdogs.
The decisive moment came with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning when Barger lined a single into right field off Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn, scoring the automatic runner and securing Toronto’s season-high seventh straight victory. It was Barger’s second hit of the game and a redeeming moment after he had struck out in the ninth inning, visibly frustrated as he broke his bat over his thigh.
Toronto received early offense from George Springer, who hit his fifth home run in as many games, a two-run shot in the third inning that gave the Blue Jays a temporary 3-2 lead. Springer’s homer followed a leadoff walk by Nathan Lukes and traveled an estimated 413 feet to straightaway center field. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also contributed offensively with three hits on the day.
Toronto starter Max Scherzer, making his third appearance since returning from the injured list, allowed two runs and five hits over four innings. Scherzer’s outing was his shortest since rejoining the rotation, throwing 72 pitches, 46 of them for strikes. His performance included a stretch in the second inning where he struck out the side on nine consecutive strikes after opening the frame with a ball to Logan O’Hoppe.
Los Angeles initially took the lead in the first inning when Jo Adell drew a bases-loaded walk, but the inning ended when right fielder Barger threw out Mike Trout at home plate on a fly ball from Jorge Soler. The Angels regained a 2-1 advantage on Adell’s sacrifice fly in the third.
Toronto tied the game in the first on Barger’s RBI single off Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz. Later in the seventh, the Angels evened the score at 3-3 on a two-out single from Nolan Schanuel off Blue Jays rookie reliever Lazaro Estrada.
Braydon Fisher pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the win for Toronto, improving his record to 3-0. Zeferjahn was charged with the loss, falling to 5-3 on the season.
The Blue Jays will look to sweep the three-game series in Sunday’s finale. Right-hander Kevin Gausman (6-6, 4.18 ERA) is scheduled to start for Toronto, while the Angels are expected to counter with left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-5, 4.12 ERA).
