Shaw, Bichette homer to lead Blue Jays to win over Phillies

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette belted a solo home run in his club’s 9-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in spring training action at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla. on Sunday. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays/Twitter (file photo)

March 8, 2020

By Lukas Weese

Canadian Baseball Network

Early home runs by Travis Shaw and Bo Bichette helped propel the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-0 victory over the Grapefruit League-leading Philadelphia Phillies Sunday afternoon at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla.

Shaw, who started at DH and batted cleanup, belted a two-run home run off Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez in the first inning, while Bichette added a solo shot in the third.

Blue Jays right fielder Jonathan Davis had two runs and two RBIs, while Santiago Espinal, Andy Burns, Reese McGuire, Alejandro Kirk and Ruben Tejada also scored runs for the Blue Jays (7-6).

Velasquez was saddled with the loss for the Phillies (11-5). He started and threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up two hits and three earned runs, while walking three. The Phillies’ loss snapped their three-game winning streak.

Shaw’s two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning opened the scoring for the Blue Jays. This marked the second consecutive game that Shaw has registered a home run. Bichette’s solo shot in the third made it a 3-0.

The Blue Jays added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run double by Davis that brought home McGuire and Tejada. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. then made it 6-0 with an RBI-single that scored Davis.

Kirk socked the Blue Jays’ third home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth, a two-run blast to centre field that also scored Burns. In the same inning, Josh Palacios’ ground out to Phillies second baseman T.J. Rivera brought home Espinal to score the Blue Jays’ ninth and final run.

The Blue Jays outhit the Phillies seven to three in Sunday afternoon’s contest.

Right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last year, got the win for the Blue Jays. He struck out four and did not allow a hit in four scoreless innings. Shoemaker is 2-0 during spring training.

Before the game, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that the Blue Jays had a team meeting about COVID-19. According to the report, Charlie Montoyo stated that the players are aware of precautions to protect themselves against the virus (e.g. hand-washing) and they will not change the way they interact with fans.

The Blue Jays will play two split-squad games on Monday, one against the Tampa Bay Rays in Dunedin and the other in Bradenton against the Pittsburgh Pirates.