Eveland strong again as Jays beat White Sox 7-3

[April 20, 2010]  TORONTO (AP) -- Dana Eveland pitched six innings, Travis Snider homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 7-3 Thursday night.

Alex Gonzalez matched a career high with four hits and had three RBIs as the Blue Jays improved to 7-3.

One night after a stadium-low crowd of 10,610 watched an 11-1 loss, attendance rose slightly to 10,744 for the series finale.

Eveland (2-0), who pitched 7 1-3 scoreless innings against Baltimore on April 10, followed that with a solid outing against the White Sox, allowing two runs and three hits in six-plus innings. He walked three and struck out four.

He didn't allow a run until White Sox rookie catcher Donny Lucy hit a two-out solo homer to left in the fifth, the first of his career.

The second-deck shot snapped Eveland's season-opening streak of 11 1-3 scoreless innings, the longest by a Blue Jays pitcher to start his Toronto career. Mike Flanagan pitched 10 2-3 scoreless innings after joining the Blue Jays in a trade with Baltimore in 1987.

Shawn Camp replaced Eveland after a leadoff walk in the seventh and struck out Alex Rios but gave up a two-run homer to Alexei Ramirez, his first.

Casey Janssen worked the eighth and Jason Frasor, who lost the closer's job to Kevin Gregg on Wednesday, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Snider opened the scoring with a solo drive to right in the second, his first, off Freddy Garcia.

Toronto added three more in the third on back-to-back doubles by Gonzalez and Adam Lind and a sacrifice fly by John Buck.

Garcia (0-2) allowed seven runs and eight hits in three-plus innings, walked three and struck out three. He left one batter after Mike McCoy's RBI double in the fourth. Gonzalez greeted left-hander Randy Williams with a two-run double.

After nine starts in right field, Jose Bautista made his first appearance of the year at third base in place of Edwin Encarnacion, who sat out with a sore right arm. Manager Cito Gaston said Encarnacion was expected to miss "a couple of days." Encarnacion missed most of spring training recovering from a sore left wrist, the result of surgery last October.

Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts, dropping his average to .077.

NOTES: Snider made a diving catch of Lucy's liner to left in the seventh. ... Former Blue Jays 3B Kelly Gruber attended the game, as did Toronto Raptors players Jarrett Jack and Sonny Weems. ... McCoy had two doubles.

[Associated Press]

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