Davis Schneider homers as Hyun Jin Ryu pitches Toronto to 8-3 victory over Cleveland

Updated Aug. 26, 2023 7:10 p.m. ET

Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Rookie Davis Schneider hit a two-run homer and an RBI single, helping Hyun Jin Ryu and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians 8-3 on Saturday.

Schneider went 3 for 3 and scored three times as Toronto stopped a three-game losing streak. Bo Bichette had two hits and Daulton Varsho added a two-run single.

“It was pretty cool today to do what I did,” Schneider said.

Playing for the first time since Aug. 19, Schneider joined slugger Carlos Delgado as the second player in Blue Jays history to hit four homers in his first 10 big league games.

Manager John Schneider said that was good enough to earn the rookie second baseman another start on Sunday.

“We try to find the right spots for everyone,” John Schneider said. “Thirty-two games left now, and performance definitely matters in that equation. It’s not too tough when you’re doing what he’s doing.”

Delgado hit five home runs in his first 10 games with Toronto in 1994.

Ryu (3-1) earned his third straight win. The left-hander allowed three runs, two earned, and four hits in five-plus innings.

“I thought he was awesome,” John Schneider said. “Efficient, just locating really well.”

José Ramirez hit his 20th homer and Tyler Freeman connected for his first career homer, both off Ryu, but Cleveland lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Schneider reached four times. He went deep with two out in the first. He doubled and scored in the fourth, and then walked in the fifth. He singled in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the seventh.

“It was definitely a spark we needed,” John Schneider said.

Blue Jays right-hander Erik Swanson departed in the seventh because of a sore back. Swanson retired pinch-hitter Bo Naylor to begin the inning, surrendered a single to Myles Straw, and then looked uncomfortable after throwing a ball to Kole Calhoun.

Left-hander Tim Mayza came on and got Calhoun to ground into a double play.

Trevor Richards worked the final two innings for Toronto.

Ryu left after consecutive errors by third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Santiago Espinal helped Cleveland load the bases with no outs in the sixth. Yimi García came on and hit Ramón Laureano with a pitch to force in a run, but recovered to strike out the next three batters.

“It looked like they were trying to implode,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “A couple of errors, a hit batsman, and we only got one. That was a real big opportunity for us.”

Ramirez homered in the top of the first, but Toronto answered with three runs off left-hander Logan Allen (6-7) in the bottom half.

Whit Merrifield led off with a double and scored on Bichette’s single. Three batters later, Schneider connected.

Allen allowed five runs and six hits in four innings.

“He just caught too much plate with too many pitches,” Francona said.

Freeman cut it to 5-2 with a one-out solo homer in the fifth, and Laureano’s RBI made it a two-run game, but Toronto scored three in the seventh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Guardians: OF Will Brennan (right knee) did not play. Brennan was scratched from the lineup Friday.

WEB GEM

Cleveland second baseman Andrés Giménez made a sensational diving stop and backhanded flip to shortstop Gabriel Arias to force Bichette at second base on Guerrero’s grounder in the first.

GO SLOW

Ryu struck out Oscar Gonzalez on a 65.8-mph curveball in the first and got Giménez swinging at a 64.6-mph curve in the third.

“Hitters today are so geared for (velocity),” John Schneider said. “He’s kind of a throwback to where he can locate it and work the ball in and out. It’s not the typical way to do it these days, but he’s been really good at that his entire career.”

CRIME SPREE

Toronto outfielder George Springer stole second base in the fifth, giving him a career-high 17 steals this season.

UP NEXT

LHP Yusei Kikuchi (9-4, 3.52 ERA) is scheduled to start for Toronto in Sunday’s series finale, facing Cleveland RHP Noah Syndergaard (2-6, 6.42 ERA).

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