TORONTO — Marcus Stroman threw six shutout innings and Ryan Goins hit a two-run homer as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-2 on Monday night at Rogers Centre.
Goins went deep in the second inning and Justin Smoak drove in two more runs in the third as the Blue Jays won for the third time in four games.
The Indians (17-14) scored two runs in the eighth inning before Roberto Osuna closed things out in the ninth for his fifth save.
Cleveland slugger Edwin Encarnacion received a standing ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd of 40,014 in his first game back in Toronto since signing with the Indians in the off-season.
He led off the second inning with an infield single and Jose Ramirez followed with a single to right field, with Encarnacion taking a wide turn at second base as if he might test Jose Bautista's arm.
Bautista threw a rocket to third base and the longtime friends both smiled after Encarnacion returned to the bag. After a lineout, Stroman escaped by getting Yandy Diaz to ground into an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom half, Toronto second baseman Devon Travis led off with a double and scored when Goins turned on a 2-2 pitch from Trevor Bauer (2-4) for a no-doubt blast inside the right-field foul pole.
The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the third after Kevin Pillar walked and moved to third on a double by Kendrys Morales. Smoak brought them home with a flare to shallow right field.
Toronto (12-20) threatened again in the fourth inning as right-fielder Abraham Almonte appeared to lose a Luke Maile liner in the lights. The dropped ball left runners on the corners for Pillar, but Bauer struck him out.
Pillar delivered a highlight-reel catch in the sixth inning to keep the Indians off the board. With two runners on, the centre-fielder made a brilliant diving catch on the warning track to rob Jose Ramirez of extra bases.
Both starting pitchers worked six innings and gave up six hits. Stroman (3-2) walked a pair and had a strikeout while Bauer allowed four earned runs, struck out six and issued three walks.
In the eighth, Francisco Lindor hit an RBI single before getting caught in a rundown, allowing a second run to come across on the fielder's choice. Lindor was eventually tagged but Travis was called for obstruction, bringing Blue Jays manager John Gibbons out of the dugout.
Lindor was awarded second base on the play and crew chief Tom Hallion tossed Gibbons for arguing. It was the third ejection of the season for the Blue Jays skipper.
Toronto reliever Danny Barnes worked the seventh inning and pitched to two batters in the eighth before Joe Smith came on to get out of the jam.
Osuna needed only nine pitches in a spotless appearance. The game took two hours 55 minutes to play.
Notes: A video montage spanning Encarnacion's eight seasons with the Blue Jays was played before the game. Encarnacion tipped his cap and tapped his heart with his hand as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. ... Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left shoulder injury. Catcher Mike Ohlman had his contract selected from triple-A Buffalo. ... After an impressive performance in his first career start last Sunday, Joe Biagini will get the nod again Friday against Seattle. He threw 52 pitches and did not allow an earned run over four innings against Tampa Bay. Gibbons said Biagini will likely have his pitch count rise by 20-25 pitches against the Mariners. ... The Blue Jays were expected to activate right-hander Mike Bolsinger from the Bisons for Tuesday's start against the Indians. The Blue Jays also designated right-hander Casey Lawrence for assignment.
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