TORONTO -- Kevin Pillar and Jose Bautista both hit home runs as the Toronto Blue Jays topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Friday in interleague play.
Marcus Stroman (4-0) pitched seven innings as Toronto (16-15) won its fourth straight, allowing eight hits but striking out eight and giving up only two runs. Gavin Floyd and Drew Storen each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Joc Pederson and Carl Crawford keyed the Los Angeles (14-15) offence with a double each. Kenta Maeda (3-1) struck out six over six innings of work, giving up two earned runs. Louis Coleman and Adam Liberatore came in from the bullpen for the Dodgers, with reliever Joe Blanton suffering the loss.
Pillar sliced a three-run homer over the left-field wall to give Toronto a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Edwin Encarnacion had reached second base on a ground-rule double and Blanton intentionally walked Justin Smoak to get Pillar, who had only one home run on the season heading into Friday's game.
Floyd earned the win as the pitcher of record during Pillar's decisive at bat. Although Storen loaded the bases in the ninth inning, he escaped without giving up a run and earned the save.
Second baseman Darwin Barney seemingly had a double to lead off the third inning for Toronto, but Dodgers right-fielder Yasiel Puig rifled a throw from the warning track to easily get the runner out.
Los Angeles finally found a chink in Stroman's armour in the sixth inning, getting runners on the bases after back-to-back singles by Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez with two outs. The threat ended when Puig hit into a force out at second.
Bautista broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning, blasting a home run into the second deck in left field, driving in Josh Donaldson for a 2-0 Blue Jays lead. The ball was so well hit that Dodgers left-fielder Crawford didn't even move, instead simply watching the ball sail high above him.
Pederson and Crawford hit consecutive doubles for L.A. in the seventh to cut in to Toronto's lead, then Chase Utley's single to centre field cashed in Crawford to tie the game 2-2.
The 42,304 in attendance at Rogers Centre began chanting "M-V-P" as Donaldson came to the plate with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the seventh. But the reigning American League MVP fouled out on the first pitch, ending the inning and keeping the score tied.
Notes: Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was not in the lineup, with manager John Gibbons saying it was simply a day off. Ryan Goins took over short in Tulowitzki's absence. ... Former Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos, now in the Dodgers front office, addressed media before the game.
