TORONTO – Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion hit a pair of two-run homers but a late throwing error by shortstop Jose Reyes proved costly as Kansas City came back for an 8-6 win Thursday to end the Blue Jays’ winning streak at nine games.
Reyes could have ended the game in the ninth inning with a clean throw to first base on a grounder, but the ball hit the dirt and Alex Gordon came around from second base to tie it.
Omar Infante drove in a pair of runs off Toronto reliever Todd Redmond (0-4) in the 10th inning as Kansas City (25-28) ended its four-game losing skid. Greg Holland got the last three outs for his 15th save.
Encarnacion, who owns the club record for most homers in a month with 16, is now one away from tying the major-league record set by Barry Bonds in May 2001 with San Francisco.
The American League East-leading Blue Jays fell to 32-23 with the loss. Reliever Wade Davis (4-1) worked two innings for the win.
Jose Bautista gave Toronto an early lead with a two-run shot off Tampa Bay starter James Shields. His 13th homer of the season barely cleared the wall in left field.
The Royals halved the lead in the second when Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey gave up a solo shot to Salvador Perez.
Kansas City pulled even after a pair of doubles in the fourth inning. Eric Hosmer opened the frame with a two-base hit and scored when Gordon hit a ground-rule double.
In the bottom half of the frame, Adam Lind hit a one-out single and scored when Encarnacion smacked his 17th homer of the season into the second deck.
The Royals started to unload on Dickey in the fifth inning. Alcides Escobar singled to lead off the frame and scored on a Pedro Ciriaco double that hit off the top of the wall in centre field.
Nori Aoki reached on a bunt and Infante singled to push Ciriaco across with the tying run. Billy Butler drove in Aoki with an RBI single before Perez flew out to end it.
Kansas City kept coming in the sixth with Lorenzo Cain doubling to lead off the frame. Escobar reached on a bunt to put runners on the corners.
That was it for Dickey, who allowed 10 hits, five earned runs and a walk while striking out seven. Reliever Steve Delabar came on and loaded the bases after hitting Aoki with a pitch.
Delabar got out of the jam when Infante lined out to Reyes, who threw it to second base to double off Escobar.
Encarnacion belted his second homer of the night into virtually the same spot as his first blast. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and he came out of the dugout to tip his hat for the fans.
The Royals loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning. Aaron Loup relieved Rob Rasmussen and struck out Escobar on three pitches.
Closer Casey Janssen recorded the first two outs in the ninth before Gordon hit a single and stole second. Janssen was looking for his ninth save.
In the 10th, Redmond gave up a single to Escobar to open the inning and Ciriaco reached when he was beaned while squaring up to bunt. Aoki advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.
Announced attendance was 17,978 and the game took three hours 26 minutes to play.
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