Pillar, Morales (2 HRs) spur win vs. Twins in 10

MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Pillar has turned into an extra-base machine and the Blue Jays are reaping the rewards as a result.
Pillar hit a pair of doubles, hit a game-tying sacrifice fly in the eighth and stole a key base in a three-run, 10th-inning rally that led to the Blue Jays' 7-4 victory over the Twins on Tuesday night. He finished the night 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Each of Pillar's last 10 hits has gone for extra bases, tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history. Jose Cruz Jr. had 11 consecutive hits go for extra bases in 2000 and Adam Lind had a streak of 10 hits in 2009.
"It's not anything that I think about doing; it's really just enjoying this ride," Pillar said. "I feel like I'm in the zone right now. I'm staying in the zone right now. I'm going up with a good plan, I'm staying with it and hopefully it continues."
Pillar finished Tuesday's game tied for the Major League lead with 12 doubles this season and he is also riding a six-game hitting streak. Over that span, Pillar has three homers, one triple and five doubles in what has become his second consecutive strong start to the year. Last season, Pillar hit .313 through the first 40 games; this year, he is batting .315 through 29 games.
After Pillar doubled in the 10th inning, he stole third with one out and scored on a wild pitch by Twins reliever John Curtiss. Pillar has five stolen bases this year without being thrown out, which he attributes to being a little wiser on the basepaths than he was earlier in his career.

"Stealing bases isn't really about being fast, it's about being smart too, and I definitely feel smarter and I'm more prepared," Pillar said. "When I first came up, I used it as a tool. The second year, teams started paying more attention to me. I was really the only guy who ran on the team and it made it a little harder for me to run … Now I get with [Tim] Leiper every day and we talk about the pitchers. He reminds me whether they have a quick pick and their times to the plate. It comes down to being more engaged."
Kendrys Morales was the other big story on offense for the Blue Jays. He was a late addition to the lineup after Steve Pearce was scratched approximately one hour before first pitch. Toronto initially said the lineup change was a "manager's decision," but Blue Jays manager John Gibbons conceded after the game that Pearce was dealing with tightness in his rib cage.
Morales didn't even take batting practice from the left side prior to the game because he did not expect to be playing. He may want to consider doing that again in the future, because the veteran slugger finished the day 3-for-3 with a pair of solo homers and two walks. He even added a stolen base in the 10th inning. Not bad for a guy who entered the day riding an 0-for-21 skid.

"I've never lost my confidence, to be honest, but of course it's going to be good for me," Morales said through a translator after the game. "I've been feeling pretty good. Things just weren't going the way I wanted, but the confidence has always been there."
The offense helped overshadow another rough start from Marco Estrada, who once again had trouble keeping the ball in the park. The veteran righty allowed two more home runs, which has become an ongoing concern. In 2017, Estrada set a career high with 31 home runs allowed, and this year he has already surrendered nine in six starts. Only Cleveland right-hander Josh Tomlin has allowed more.
"It's a lot of fun being a part of this team right now," Estrada said. "I know I've struggled these last few days, and it sucks, but I'm having a lot of fun with these guys. Now I just have to do my job and I want people to have confidence in me, believe that I'm a good pitcher, and I just want to contribute to what's going on right now and I haven't been the last few outings."
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Morales shocked the world by stealing second base during the 10th inning. Pillar was on third base at the time and Morales simply took off for second, hoping to draw a throw, which would have given Pillar an opportunity to score. Minnesota did not take the bait and instead catcher Mitch Garver decided to hang onto the ball. That meant Morales was able to jog into second for his first stolen base since Oct. 2, 2009, vs. Oakland.
"I was anticipating it," Morales said. "Gibby told me before I went and hit, if the situation came, they were going to give me the steal and to just stop in the middle to try and draw a throw and maybe get KP to go home. That was the plan."

HE SAID IT
"I tried but I was too slow. So I quit." -- Morales, after being jokingly asked whether he tried out for a track-and-field team growing up in Cuba
SOUND SMART
The Blue Jays are 14-0 when scoring five or more runs in a game. Of all the teams in the Majors with at least 13 games of five runs or more, Toronto is the only team with a perfect record.
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
Aledmys Díaz thought he had a leadoff infield single in the top of the ninth inning but the call was overturned on replay. Diaz hit a slow grounder to shortstop Ehire Adrianza and after the throw across the diamond, first base umpire Dan Bellino signaled for the out call. Twins manager Paul Molitor asked for a review and it was later changed to an out as the Blue Jays missed a chance to put the potential go-ahead run on base.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays wrap up their three-game series against the Twins when right-hander Marcus Stroman takes the mound Wednesday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET. Stroman has yet to figure things out this season: His 8.88 ERA is among the highest in the league and he has allowed at least six runs in back-to-back starts for just the second time in his career. Minnesota will counter with right-hander Fernando Romero, who is set to make his Major League debut.