Russell Martin home run muscles Blue Jays to third straight win

Blue Jays 4 White Sox 2

Russell Martin gave the Blue Jays their first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning when he hit a Danny Farquhar pitch into the Blue Jays bullpen (caught by John Axford) after Curtis Granderson worked a walk off the left-handed reliever Luis Avilan. It was his first home run of the season.

Aledmys Diaz added a solo shot off of Farquhar to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning to make it 4-2.

Roberto Osuna came in and worked an easy ninth inning for his second save of the early season to push the Jays over .500 for the first time this season, striking out Yolmer Sanchez to end the game. He did not throw a ball in his inning of work.

Both starters, Jaime Garcia and Reynaldo Lopez, had success throughout the game.

Garcia got into a bit of trouble in the third inning. He hit Yolmer Sanchez (although replays seemed inconclusive), who then tried to steal second and took third base after Russell Martin's low throw hit off of Sanchez and rolled into the outfield. However, Adam Engel hit a hard grounder to third base but Yangervis Solarte caught Sanchez off of third, and got him out in a rundown. Engel took second, but was left on base.

Garcia was pretty great in his Blue Jays debut, allowing only four hits and two walks over six innings, while striking out seven.

Lopez, for his part, was also brilliant. He allowed only two hits over six innings, also walking two and striking out six.

Chicago took the 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when Welington Castillo hit a Garcia fastball over the left field wall. It could have been worse, but a Jose Abreu single was erased on a Matt Davidson double play ground ball. It was the second double play of the game for the White Sox.

The Blue Jays tied it up when Josh Donaldson went opposite field over the right field wall in the sixth inning. Donaldson blew a fake whistle as he stepped on home plate, which seemed to be a message to White Sox coach Daryl Boston who blows a whistle after the White Sox make a good defensive play.

The White Sox re-took the lead the next half inning when Castillo hit his second home run of the game off of Seung Hwan Oh. Castillo was the first batter that Oh faced out of the bullpen.

Oh pitched around a walk and a hit batter to strand two more runners and keep it a 2-1 deficit when he got Yoan Moncada to fly out to Curtis Granderson in foul territory.

Ryan Tepera worked around an Abreu double to keep the game at 3-2 after the top of the eighth inning.

Jays of the Day: Martin (+0.334 WPA), Garcia (+0.205), Tepera (+0.125), Donaldson (+0.133)
Suckage: Pillar (-0.169 WPA), Oh (-0.128)

But hey, it's a win. Who cares about negatives, right?

Tomorrow the series continues against the White Sox. J.A. Happ (0-1, 3.86) faces right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who will be making his first appearance of the season. First pitch is at 7:07 p.m.