Biggio hits first career HR, Jays beat Padres 10-1
TORONTO -- Blue Jays rookie Cavan Biggio grew up watching his Hall of Fame dad, Craig, hit home runs for the Houston Astros.
On Sunday, father and son reversed roles.
Biggio had three hits, including his first career home run, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had four hits and homered for the third straight game, and Toronto beat the San Diego Padres 10-1 Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep.
With his famous father and more than 10 other friends and family watching from the stands, Biggio got his first hit with a ground ball single through the right side in the second. He hit a solo home run into the fourth deck off left-hander Matt Wisler in the fourth, then added an RBI single in Toronto's four-run fifth.
"I've always wanted to do what my dad did, ever since a young age, and finally here we've kind of switched roles," the younger Biggio said. "He's in the seats now and I'm on the field. So that's pretty cool because it's everything I ever wanted."
Recalled from Triple-A Buffallo Friday slog with Gurriel Jr., Biggio had started 0 for 6 before his single.
"After I got that first hit, I felt like I could finally exhale and finally just play the game," Biggio said. "It was a big relief."
Biggio's big crowd was waiting for him as he left the clubhouse following the game, admiring a pair of souvenir balls from his milestone game.
Toronto's Justin Smoak hit two home runs, a two-run blast off Luis Perdomo in the fifth and a three-run drive off Adam Warren in the eighth. The homers were his 10th and 11th of the season.
The Blue Jays, who came in having lost four straight and 10 of 12 at home, finished with a season-high 17 hits.
Toronto rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. snapped an 0 for 14 slump with a double in the first. He finished 3 for 5, the second three-hit game of his brief career.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said he got chills watching Gurriel Jr. and Biggio go back-to-back in the fourth. Biggio, Gurriel Jr. and Guerrero Jr. combined to finish 10 for 13 with four RBI.
"It felt like that's what's coming here," Montoyo said. "That's the future."
BIggio also turned an unassisted double play in the seventh, catching Manuel Margot's liner and stepping on second base to retire Austin Allen, who had strayed too far off the bag.
Gurriel Jr. had the first four-hit game of his career. He singled and scored in the second, homered off Wisler immediately before Biggio's blast in the fourth, doubled and scored in the fifth, and singled in the seventh.
Right-hander Marcus Stroman (3-6) pitched five innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season. He allowed one run and five hits, walked one and struck out two.
Wil Myers hit a leadoff homer off Stroman in the fifth, his 10th, but that was all for the Padres, who scored 19 runs and hit a team-record seven homers Saturday.
It was the first home run off Stroman by a right-handed batter since Boston's Xander Bogaerts hit one on July 15, 2018.
"We kind of dug a hole we couldn't dig ourselves out of," manager Andy Green said.
San Diego saw its five-game winning streak snapped, and lost an interleague game for the first time this season. The Padres are 4-1 against AL opponents.
Left-hander Robbie Erlin started for San Diego in place of rookie right-hander Chris Paddack, who was scratched because of a stiff neck. Paddack's next start is expected to be Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
Erlin (0-1) allowed one run and three hits in two innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: OF Franmil Reyes (left shoulder) sat for the second straight game.
Blue Jays: LHP Tim Mayza was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a nerve issue in his left elbow. To replace Mayza, the Blue Jays recalled RHP Jacob Waguespack from Triple-A Buffalo.
SHOWING SOLIDARITY
Stroman and Giles came up with the idea to have the entire team dress in Raptors t-shirts for the flight to Tampa after Toronto clinched a berth in the NBA Finals Saturday night. Many players wore red shirts bearing the Raptors' We the North' slogan, while Stroman opted for a red Fred VanVleet replica jersey.
UNLIKELY ARRIVAL
Waguespack went undrafted in 2015, later signing with Philadelphia. This is his first time on a big league roster. "It's a dream come true," he said. "Guys like me aren't supposed to be here."
UP NEXT
Padres: LHP Matt Strahm (2-3, 306) starts the opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Strahm has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight straight starts. The Yankees have not named a starter.
Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 3.79) starts the opener of a three-game series in Tampa Bay. Sanchez has a 1.97 ERA in 15 career games against the Rays. Tampa Bay has not named a starter.
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