Bautista homers, Reyes drives in two as Blue Jays snap slide with win over Twins

TORONTO – Jose Bautista and Jose Reyes each drove in two runs and had three hits apiece and Mark Buehrle pitched seven shutout innings as the Toronto Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Bautista had a third-inning home run and an RBI single among his hits while Reyes had a two-run double in the fourth inning as he extended his hitting streak to eight games.

The Twins (36-47) have lost six games in a row while the Blue Jays (42-44) have lost eight of their past 12 games after an 11-game win streak in June equalled a franchise record.

The Twins are 1-8 in their past nine games at Rogers Centre. Their last win in Toronto was April 3, 2011.

Buehrle (5-5) held Minnesota to six hits and no walks while striking out five in seven innings for his first win since June 19. It was the sixth time in 18 starts this season that the left-hander has pitched seven innings.

Left-hander Brett Cecil took over from Buehrle in the eighth inning and allowed one hit. Right-hander Dustin McGowan pitched the ninth for the Blue Jays.

Twins’ right-hander Kevin Correia (6-6) allowed 10 hits and four runs in six innings for his second loss in his past three starts with a no-decision in between.

He was replaced in the seventh by right-hander Ryan Pressly who pitched the final two innings.

The Blue Jays stranded three runners in the first two innings before Bautista hit a 2-2 hanging curve to left centre for his 20th homer of the season with one out in the third for the game’s first run.

The Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead in a three-run fourth. Maicer Izturis and J.P. Arencibia took walks to open the inning before they advanced on a sacrifice by Munenori Kawasaki. Reyes grounded a double to right to score both runners and scored in turn on Bautista’s single to centre.

NOTES: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 25,672. … Blue Jays 3B Brett Lawrie (left ankle sprain) of Langley, B.C., was 0-for-3 on Thursday for single-A Lansing as he continued his minor-league rehabilitation assignment. He will go to double-A New Hampshire soon but there is no schedule for his return to Toronto. … Blue Jays’ RHP R.A. Dickey (8-8, 4.59 earned-run average) will start Saturday against Twins’ RHP Mike Pelfrey (3-6, 6.11 ERA). Pelfrey (back strain) is coming off a stint on the disabled list and will be making his first start since June 18. …The Twins designated RHP P.J. Walters for assignment to make room for Pelfrey.