TORONTO (AP) — Teoscar Hernández and Santiago Espinal each hit two-run home runs, Yuseki Kukuchi struck out a season-high eight over six innings to snap a seven-start winless streak and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 Thursday night.
Hernández hit his eighth homer in the second, and Espinal went deep in the seventh, his sixth. Both homers came off Rays left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (0-4).
Hernández went 3 for 4, also with a double.
Rays left-hander Jeffrey Springs had been set to start against Toronto on Friday but instead left the team and was put on the Family Medical Emergency List.
Right-hander Matt Wisler opened in place of Springs, and Yarbrough, who was recalled from Triple-A on Friday, replaced Wisler in the second. Yarbrough allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said he wasn’t sure when Springs would rejoin the team.
Kikuchi (3-4) allowed one run and four hits over six innings, his longest outing since his previous win, May 16 against Seattle. He went 0-3 with a 7.30 in the seven starts between victories.
Rays infielder Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer in the fourth, his 11th.
Trent Thornton worked the seventh, David Phelps handled the eighth and Adam Cimber finished for his fourth save in seven chances.
Two of the four hits off Kikuchi came when Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco had back-to-back singles to begin the sixth. Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman started a 5-3 double play, then made a fine play on Randy Arozarena’s grounder to end the threat.
Chapman ran into foul territory down the left field line to retire Francisco Mejía for the final out of the seventh, stranding the tying run at third.