video thumbnail

Hill launches a grand slam to left

TORONTO -- Aaron Hill and Edwin Encarnacion were expected to provide power at the plate this season for the Blue Jays. But neither had homered in the Blue Jays' first 52 games of the season.

They have now, both of them. Each hit his first home run in the Blue Jays' six-run first inning as they beat the Chicago White Sox, 13-4, before 18,325 at Rogers Centre.

To make it sweeter for Hill, his first home run of the season also was his first career grand slam. It was Hill's 36th game of the season and Encarnacion's 38th. Hill spent time on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

The offensive outpouring made a winner of left-hander Ricky Romero (5-4), who allowed six hits and two runs over seven innings. Left-hander John Danks (0-8) allowed nine hits and nine runs in four innings to take the loss.

Carlos Quentin hit his 13th homer of the season on Romero's first-pitch fastball with two outs in the first inning to give the White Sox (24-31) the first run.

Then the Blue Jays (27-26) went to work in the bottom of the inning. Yunel Escobar extended his hit streak to 10 games with a leadoff single, and Corey Patterson, who had five hits, including the game-winning homer in the 14th on Saturday, singled. Jose Bautista's single tied the game.

J.P. Arencibia walked with one out to load the bases for Hill, who homered to left on a 1-1 fastball. Encarnacion followed by hitting a homer to left on a 2-2 changeup.

Juan Rivera extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double in the second, but was thrown out trying for a triple.

Paul Konerko's single gave Chicago a run in the third, but Toronto came back with three in the fourth after Rajai Davis was hit by a pitch. He stole third with one out and scored on Escobar's single. Patterson then hit his fourth homer of the season to make it 9-2.

Jayson Nix, who ended an 0-for-22 drought with a first-inning single, doubled home two runs in the fifth against right-hander Lucas Harrell. Patterson singled home Nix and it was 12-2. Patterson had three RBIs and his seventh-inning single gave him four hits.

Arencibia singled home Rivera, who had doubled, in the sixth to make the score 13-2.

White Sox catcher Ramon Castro hit a one-out, two-run homer in the ninth off reliever Shawn Camp.