TORONTO (AP) — Mookie Betts has circled a few potential cycles in his young career http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-luis-aparicio-jersey , not surprising considering his rare combination of power and speed.Boston’s AL MVP contender finally knocked that milestone off his list with his final swing Thursday night.Betts homered in the ninth inning to complete his first career cycle during the Toronto Blue Jays‘ 8-5 win over the Red Sox.Betts is the 21st Red Sox player to hit for the cycle and the first in the major leagues this season. He singled and scored in the first inning, tripled in the second and doubled in the fourth against starter Ryan Borucki. After walking in the sixth, Betts hit a one-out drive off Ken Giles in the ninth for his 27th homer of the season.Betts has come up one leg short of the cycle eight times in his career, including twice needing a home run.“I’ve had some opportunities before and to finally succeed is a good feeling,” said Betts, who has reached base in 25 of his past 42 plate appearances against Toronto.The 25-year-old Betts is the first Boston player to hit for the cycle since Brock Holt in 2015. Betts, Holt and Leon Culberson in 1943 are the only Red Sox to cycle from the leadoff spot.The AL MVP candidate was 4 for 4 to raise his major league-best average to .347 with 59 RBIs and a 1.102 OPS. He celebrated his no-doubt homer by lifting a fist and smiling at Boston’s dugout.“You expect greatness with him every night,” manager Alex Cora said. “That was cool to see.”Boston (81-35) lost for the first time in seven games but still has the best record in baseball.Randal Grichuk hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and Teoscar Hernandez added a solo shot to help Toronto avoid a three-game sweep.Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez hit his major league-leading 35th home run, a solo drive in the fifth.Boston starter Rick Porcello (14-5) allowed seven runs and six hits in four innings. Porcello lost for the first time since a July 13 home defeat to the Blue Jays, a game in which he allowed a season-worst eight earned runs.“We’ve got to take a look at that,” Cora said. “That’s the second one in a row against them. Breaking balls http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-ozzie-guillen-jersey , fastballs, changeups, they were on him. Location wasn’t great, we saw it from the get go, but still. They put some good at-bats against him and that’s the second game in a row they’ve done that.”The right-hander is 1-2 with a 9.15 ERA in four starts against Toronto this season.“I don’t know what it is about their lineup,” Porcello said. “They do a nice job against me. They make me get into the strike zone, they draw some walks, and then they do damage. I’ve got to figure something out against these guys to overcome that.”Borucki (2-2) allowed four runs and a career-worst nine hits in five innings but won his second straight start.“He really battled,” manager John Gibbons said. “There aren’t a lot of outs in that lineup and they are hot right now.”Borucki pitched eight shutout innings to beat the Mariners for his first major league win in his previous outing.TWO FOR TWOA fan in the left field seats caught two home runs balls, snagging Martinez’s drive in the fifth and Grichuk’s in the sixth.HOME RUN DERBYPorcello has allowed 26 career home runs against Toronto, more than any other opponent. He’s surrendered 21 career home runs against Minnesota.TRAINER’S ROOMRed Sox: LHP Chris Sale (mild left shoulder inflammation) threw a bullpen session before the game and remains on track to come off the disabled list and start Sunday against Baltimore. … Boston moved struggling left-hander Drew Pomeranz to the bullpen and will keep LHP Brian Johnson as a starter after Sale’s return.Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (right index finger) allowed four runs and five hits in three innings in a rehab start for Toronto’s rookie-level Gulf Coast League team. Sanchez walked two and struck out four. … Toronto promoted LHP Thomas Pannone from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned RHP Mike Hauschild to Triple-A. Pannone served an 80-game performance enhancing drug suspension earlier this season.UP NEXTRed Sox: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (5-4 Bill Melton Jersey , 3.38) starts the opener of a weekend series at Baltimore. Eovaldi has not allowed an earned run in either of his first two starts for Boston. RHP Dylan Bundy (7-10, 4.38) starts for the Orioles.Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada (5-8, 4.65) starts the opener of a three-game series against Tampa Bay. Estrada allowed one run in seven innings against Seattle in his previous outing, snapping a four-start winless streak. LHP Blake Snell (12-5, 2.27) starts for the Rays. MILWAUKEE — A week after Gio Gonzalez was acquired from the Washington Nationals, the veteran left-hander will make his Milwaukee Brewers debut Saturday when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park.Gonzalez has looked little like the pitcher who finished in the top 10 of National League Cy Young voting a year ago. In 27 starts for the Nationals, he was 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA and had just one victory since May 28.The Brewers still had an interest, hoping he could provide depth down the stretch — as well as a left-handed starting option — as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.Article continues below ...“We acquired him to have another good pitcher and because you don’t know what’s going to happen in this month,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s his turn to go help us try to win a game.”Gonzalez hasn’t pitched in a game since Aug. 29, when he allowed six runs in five innings but took a no-decision as the Nationals fell to the Phillies. He will have 10 days off before returning to action Saturday but isn’t worried about any kind of rust factor.He also has used the downtime to his advantage, working extensively with Brewers pitching coach Derek Johnson.“I don’t want to use any excuses http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-robin-ventura-jersey ,” Gonzalez said. “The way I see it is just give me the ball and I’m going to try and give you 100 percent of my talent. I’ll take the ball, make my pitches and try to get some outs. Rely on my defense and rely on our offense.“Hopefully, I can keep us in the game.”Gonzalez is 5-5 with a 3.53 ERA in 14 career starts against the Giants, including an 0-1 record and 7.56 ERA in two starts this season.He will face a lineup likely to be without shortstop Brandon Crawford, who was held out of Bruce Bochy’s starting lineup for a second straight day on Friday because of a sore knee that kept him out of three games last week as well.Bochy started switch-hitting Alen Hanson at short in the series opener and said he’ll give right-hander Abiatal Avelino the nod Saturday against Gonzalez.Right-hander Chris Stratton takes the mound against the Brewers, who tagged him for three runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief back earlier this season.Stratton took the loss his last time out despite holding the Mets to two runs in six innings but is 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA in his last three starts.He’s part of a group that has posted the third-best ERA in baseball since June 1 (3.37 heading into the series) but has been stymied by an offense that has struggled to generate runs.“They give us a chance, but you see the numbers; it’s just been tough since June 1 with the offense,” Bochy said. “A couple of guys getting hot, driving in runs, that’s what we’re missing.“Somebody’s got to do that for you to win ballgames. That’s what we’re missing.”
