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Blue Jays sweep Twins as AL collectively shudders in fear

By Keegan Matheson

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The Toronto Blue Jays continued their roll on Thursday night, wrapping up a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins. The 9-3 victory showcased their unmatched offense once again while starter Mark Buehrle did exactly what was asked of him. Edwin Encarnacion starred in the victory, and with him back to full health, the sky is the limit. On to New York!

9. 39. 3. 2. Final

Game Notes:

  • Dioner Navarro got the starting nod over Russell Martin in this one. The move should allow Martin to catch the night game on Friday and matinee game on Saturday in New York, then rest on Sunday as Navarro catches Estrada.

    • Edwin Encarnacion got the Blue Jays started in the first with a double that scored

    Josh Donaldson

    , who stole his fourth bag of the season earlier in the inning.

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    If you blinked, you missed the early stages of Mark Buehrle’s start. He needed just 17 pitches to breeze through the first two innings.

    Encarnacion let loose on his 21st home run of the season to put the Blue Jays up 4-0 in the third. If he goes on a trademark Edwin tear, the MLB may need to introduce a mercy rule.

  • Buehrle had his shutout broken up in the fourth when Trevor Plouffe went deep for two. It scored Miguel Sano, who reached on a fan-interference double that nearly caused Jose Bautista to kill a man just by shaking his head at him.
  • Ben Revere electrified the crowd in the fifth with a leadoff bunt that was thrown wild over the head of first baseman Joe Mauer. Revere scampered all the way to third, showing off the incredible speed that he’s known for. He’d come around to score on a Bautista double.

    • Dioner Navarro soon put the Jays up 7-2 with a bases-loaded single. It’s great to see him heating up down the stretch, as the Jays will be able to rest Russell Martin without losing his offense entirely. Smoak kept that inning going with an RBI double of his own.

  • Kevin Pillar made another highlight-reel grab in centre, robbing Sano of extra bases with a fully-extended diving catch. He’s not human.

    • . <strong>Mark </strong><strong>Buehrle</strong>. STARTING PITCHING . B+. Another quality effort from Buehrle as the lefty went 7.0 innings allowing three earned runs on just five hits. Minnesota made some solid contact throughout the game and Buehrle managed just one strikeout, but as always, he got the job done. With this offense, he should continue to rack up the wins..

    <strong><a href=. . <b>Schultz</b>. RELIEVER . A

    A+. A healthy Edwin is a terrifying thing for the rest of the AL playoff race. The slugger went 3-for-4 on the night with a walk, double, home run and four RBI. Behind Tulowitzki, Donaldson and Bautista, few players in the MLB will have more RBI opportunities than Encarnacion over the remainder of the season.. . <b>Edwin Encarnacion</b>. OFFENCE

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