Valenzuela's Late Hit Propels Blue Jays Past Phillies 3-2

TORONTO (AP) — In a thrilling finish on Tuesday night, the Toronto Blue Jays clinched a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies, thanks to a decisive single by Brandon Valenzuela in the ninth inning. The win was marked by a late rally that saw the Blue Jays score twice off Jhoan Duran, who suffered his first blown save of the season after converting 16 opportunities.

The pivotal ninth inning began with Jesús Sánchez reaching base on an infield single, later replaced by Myles Straw. Yohendrick Piñango then contributed with a single, placing Straw at third base. Daulton Varsho came in as a pinch runner for Piñango and promptly stole second base. A wild pitch allowed Straw to score the tying run, with Varsho advancing to third. Valenzuela then delivered the game-winning hit, driving the ball into left field to bring Varsho home.

Before the Blue Jays' comeback, Bryson Stott had given the Phillies a brief lead with an RBI double in the top of the ninth. It all began when Bryce Harper walked against Louis Varland (3-1), who had been on a strong streak, not allowing an earned run since late April. Following a strikeout from Brandon Marsh, Harper moved to second on a groundout by Alec Bohm, setting the stage for Stott's crucial double.

The scoring for Philadelphia earlier in the game included Trea Turner's double in the first inning, followed by Marsh's two-out double that brought Turner home. Toronto managed to tie the game in the sixth when Sánchez hit a home run off Zack Wheeler, who pitched six innings, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out five.

On the mound for Toronto, Dylan Cease made a strong return from a left hamstring injury, striking out 11 batters in six innings and allowing only one run and three hits. Cease was activated from the injured list prior to the game, having previously left a May 24 start due to his injury.

Looking ahead, the Blue Jays are set to have right-hander Max Scherzer (1-3, 9.64 ERA) returning from the injured list to face off against Phillies lefty Jesus Luzardo (4-4, 4.56) in the next match-up.