Jose Batista jumps on home plate after his ninth inning homer. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 23rd home run in the top of the ninth inning helping the Blue Jays snap a four-game losing streak with a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.
The home run came off closer Fernando Salas who has given up a homer in three of his last five outings after going a stretch of his first 25 appearances without giving up a homer.
Colby Rasmus and Matt Holliday homered for the Cardinals, who have lost 10 of 13 and are 1-3 without injured Albert Pujols. Toronto starter Brandon Morrow struck out nine in seven innings, and gave up four runs, three earned.
Jake Westbrook was tagged for 10 hits in 4.1 innings, and down 4-2 handed the ball over to Mitchell Boggs, who struck out Edwin Encarnacion and Rajai Davis.
Holliday’s homer tied it in the sixth after Jon Jay led off with a double.