Encarnacion homers, Sanchez wins again in Toronto victory

Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports is the latest to link the power-hitting veteran to Toronto and with the team not off to the greatest start since the All Star break, it makes sense to believe help could be on its way.

“I see the ball real well and I feel confident in this ball park, so it works out”, Encarnacion said. It was pretty special. And Encarnacion’s 2010 visit – back when he still was playing third base – included a three-solo-homer game on May 21, a three-run shot on May 22, and a two-run blast on May 23.

“He has been in the bullpen the last two years for us and has been really, really good”, Gibbons continued. “He rakes it in this place”. Sanchez then pitched out of a tough spot in the last of the third after opposing starter Zack Godley and Segura opened the inning with singles. Standing in their way however was an inter league match up against a team they very rarely get to see in the Arizona Diamondbacks (the teams have only faced each other 14 times since the D-Backs inception in 1998). With 19 home runs and 66 RBIs, the veteran right-handed hitter has but the past two years of struggles behind him.

Zach Godley, once again called up from Reno, kept the Blue Jays in check through the first two and two thirds innings.

“He threw the heck out of the ball”, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said, “and we knew it going in”.

Relying primarily on his fastball, Sanchez (10-1) gave up one run and six hits in seven innings.

“Early, he was not getting ahead in the count and obviously got hurt”, he said.

Troy Tulowitzki added the to run total in the fifth when he roped an RBI double into left and Kevin Pillar joined the hit parade with an RBI single later in the inning. Since June 10, he and Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson rank first and second in the AL in runs scored with 36 and 32, respectively. “I think my fastball is pretty good, but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t command it. I thought I did a good job of commanding my heater, and everything worked off of that”.

Tuffy Gosewisch hit a three-run homer in the ninth for Arizona.

Arizona Diamondbacks’ Jean Segura scores on a throwing error against the Toronto Blue Jays durin …

Corbin had thrown only five pitches and Toronto led 2-0. Seattle is trying to stay alive in the playoff chase and got a big boost from Wednesday’s 6-5 victory in 11 innings over the Chicago White Sox as Leonys Martin belted two homers, including a walk-off blast.

Josh Donaldson singled three times for Toronto, driving in a run and scoring another.

Barney, an infielder by trade, made his first career start in left field and made two nice catches, one up against the wall.

“He’s a great athlete”, Gibbons said. “He catches fly balls all the time. Why can’t he catch them out there, too?”

Toronto is also 9-3 in their last 12 Friday games, and 7-2 in Estrada’s last nine starts.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista will make three rehab appearances for the Bisons this weekend. He could rejoin the Blue Jays on Monday when they start a three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Rogers Centre. He was out of the lineup Wednesday but was available. The Diamondbacks send RH Archie Bradley (3-5, 4.37 ERA) to the mound in Cincinnati against Reds RH Dan Straily (4-6, 4.07).