By Canadian Press

Rookie Biggio hits first homer, drives in three as Blue Jays beat Padres

May 26, 2019 | 2:21 PM

TORONTO — Rookie Cavan Biggio belted out his first three career hits, including a fourth-inning home run, to ignite a productive day at the plate for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Biggio’s big day was part of a season-high 17-hit, four-homer attack in the Blue Jays 10-1 win in the series finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for Toronto, and the positive result arrived a day after the Padres smacked seven home runs in a 19-4 drubbing on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Biggio was promoted from the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday. But the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio went 0 for 6 in his first two games and struck out three times.

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His third outing was memorable. Batting seventh in the order, the left-handed hitting Houston native squeezed a single between San Diego first baseman Wil Myers and second baseman Greg Garcia in the first inning.

Biggio then homered to right field in the fourth inning off a four-seam fastball from Padres reliever Matt Wisler. The second baseman’s first career home run came right after teammate Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a shot into the left-field seats to give his team a 3-0 lead.

Biggio wound up 3 for 4 as he grounded out to second base in his final at-bat.

Gurriel continued to swing a hot bat. As part of his four-hit, two-RBI afternoon, the 25-year-old Cuban smashed his third homer in as many games since being called up from Buffalo.

Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak hit his fifth and sixth home runs in 10 games. His first was a two-run shot as part of a four-run fifth inning and a three-run homer in the eighth.

Rookie third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled and singled to centre field in his first two at-bats, and singled again in the eighth inning.

Gurriel scored the game’s first run. He singled, moved to third on Biggio’s first career hit and then scored on Brandon Drury’s fielder’s choice grounder to San Diego shortstop Manny Machado.

Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman lasted five innings for his second consecutive win to improve his record to 3-6. He only allowed a fifth-inning homer to Padres first baseman Wil Myers.

Daniel Hudson, Joe Biagini and closer Ken Giles pitched well in relief of Stroman.

A day after his first major league hit, an RBI double to centre field, Canadian Josh Naylor went 0 for 4, including a pair of strikeouts.

Reliever Robbie Erlin was forced into a starting role when Chris Paddack came down with a stiff neck. Erlin lasted only two innings.

The Blue Jays hit the road for a week with three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press