TORONTO—Aaron Hill hit his first career grand slam and Encarnacion homered using pitcher Ricky Romero’s bat as the Toronto Blue Jays routed the White Sox 13-4 on Sunday.Corey Patterson added a two-run shot as Toronto pounded out a season-high 18 hits.Hill’s homer was his first since Sept. 29 against New York.Edwin Encarnacion followed Hill’s slam with his first homer since going deep at Minnesota last Oct. 3, the final day of the 2010 season. It was the third time this season the Blue Jays have hit back-to-back home runs.Encarnacion used Romero’s bat twice more, but broke it on a single to left in the fifth. He switched back to his own bat for his final two plate appearances.So, would Hill consider taking a pitcher’s bat up to the plate? Both homers, along with Patterson’s two run drive in the fourth, came off John Danks (0-8). The left-hander allowed a season-high nine runs and nine hits in four innings, the shortest of his 11 outings this season. He became the first White Sox pitcher since Eddie Smith in 1942 to start the season 0-8; Smith lost his first 10 decisions that year.
“Today I was terrible,” Danks said. “There’s no other way of putting it.”
Danks won his final two starts in 2010, ending his season with a home victory over Boston, but has not won since. Romero (5-4) won for the third time in four starts, allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked two, struck out five and lowered his ERA to 2.88. Casey Janssen worked a scoreless eighth inning and Shawn Camp surrendered Castro’s second homer in the ninth. Danks and major league home run leader Bautista had a testy exchange after the Blue Jays outfielder popped out in the fourth inning. Danks was upset at Bautista for running slowly to first and slamming his bat to the ground as he jogged up the line.
“I just told him to run the bases,” Danks said. “He was out there acting like a clown. He’s a good player. He’s had a great year and a half, no doubt, he’s been one of the best hitters in the league. He was out there acting like he’s Babe Ruth or something. I’ve had a pretty (crummy) year to this point but I have pride still,” Danks added. “I’m not going to let him sit out there and show me up like that.”
Asked about the incident, Bautista said his baserunning was not Danks’ concern.Patterson went 4 for 5 with three RBI and has nine hits in his past two games.The Blue Jays have won 22 of their past 27 meetings with the White Sox, including 15 of 18 at home, and the Sox have not won the season series since 2006.Ramon Castro hit a two-run homer and Carlos Quentin added a solo home run for the White Sox, who have lost three straight and six of 10 overall.Batting sixth, slumping White Sox slugger Adam Dunn went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts and a walk, dropping his average to .181.
NOTES—Nix’s bloop single to center in the first was the first hit by a Toronto third baseman since May 15, snapping an 0 for 42 skid….Harrell was promoted when the White Sox placed RHP Tony Pena (elbow tendinitis) on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 28….Toronto’s Juan Rivera extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a double in the second but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple…..Gordon Beckham, hit in the face by a throw from the outfield Friday, expects to return to the lineup Monday.