Kazuma Okamoto's power display carried Toronto to a 7-3 victory over Minnesota at Target Field, as the Blue Jays slugger homered twice and drove in three runs to overcome an early deficit.
Okamoto went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI, adding a walk in his dominant performance. The slugger is now hitting .228 with seven home runs and 18 RBI this season. Byron Buxton answered for Minnesota with a 2-for-4 night that included a two-run homer, bringing his season totals to nine home runs and 13 RBI while batting .260.
Toronto seized control after Minnesota tied the game in the third. Okamoto's first homer, a 390-foot shot to left field in the fourth inning, put the Blue Jays ahead 3-2. He struck again in the fifth with a 374-foot blast that scored Vladimir Guerrero and extended the lead to 6-2. Pinango added insurance with a seventh-inning single that scored Okamoto.
Simeon Woods Richardson struggled for Minnesota, allowing six runs over 4.2 innings on nine hits with two strikeouts and a walk. His ERA now stands at 6.49 as he fell to 0-5 on the season. The Blue Jays' winning pitcher earned his first victory of the year, holding Minnesota to two runs over 5.1 innings.
Toronto snapped a losing streak to improve to 14-17, while Minnesota lost for the first time in two games and moved to 14-18. Both teams sit in fourth place in their respective divisions.