TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his major league-leading fifth home run, Zack Collins had two hits and an RBI and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Friday night.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reached base three times, scored a run and drove in a run to help Toronto win its sixth straight against Oakland.
Guerrero hit three home runs in Wednesday’s win over the Yankees, then went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts Thursday in the series finale, fanning three times against New York right-hander Luis Severino.
“Severino did a good job against him and then today he’s back to Vlad,” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said.
Guerrero was in the lineup at designated hitter for the first time this season and bounced back in the first inning, hammering a 2-2 pitch from Daulton Jefferies 428 feet to right-center.
“I left a cutter up and he took advantage of it,” Jefferies said. “He put a good swing on it.”
Oakland manager Mark Kotsay called Guerrero “a dynamic player.”
“As an opposing manager, you kind of go, `Oh, gosh, here he comes again,”‘ Kotsay said. “From a fan’s standpoint, it’s great for the game. You have to enjoy watching him.”
Guerrero singled in the third and flied out in the fifth. Many in the crowd of 35,415 booed when the Blue Jays slugger was intentionally walked with George Springer at third base in the seventh. Gurriel followed with an RBI double.
With a scoreless ninth, Toronto’s Jordan Romano extended his franchise-record…