Teoscar Hernández hit the go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth, giving the Blue Jays a badly needed offensive boost with three hits in a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.
After Martin Perez finished six innings in his first start for the Twins with only one run allowed and Ryne Harper struck out two batters in a perfect seventh, left-hander Adalberto Mejia was summoned for the eighth.
Freddy Galvis greeted Mejia with a single, Randal Grichuk doubled for his third hit of the game, and Justin Smoak hit an RBI single to bring up Hernandez.
Jorge Polanco had three hits and raised his batting average to .420 for the Twins, who took a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning on C.J. Cron’s three-run homer off Matt Shoemaker but fell to 4-2 at home this season.
Rocco Baldelli took his first career ejection in the eighth inning, when Cron struck out swinging at a pitch that hit both his fingers and the bat. Baldelli calmly argued for a foul ball, but home plate umpire Mike Eastbrook eventually gave him the heave-ho. The play was not reviewable.
