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TORONTO --Bartolo Colon pitched into the seventh inning and Jorge Polanco hit a two-run double as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Friday night. Colon (6-10) allowed one run on nine hits with one walk in 6 2/3 innings and did not record a strikeout as the Twins (66-62) maintained the second wild-card position in the American League.
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Polanco and Byron Buxton each had three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota.
Justin Smoak had a home run among his three hits for the Blue Jays (60-68).
Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ (6-10) allowed five runs, eight hits and one walk while striking out seven in six innings.
Dominic Leone replaced Happ for the seventh and pitched around a leadoff single and had two strikeouts.
The Blue Jays had two runners on base in each of the second, fourth and sixth innings, but Colon was able to work out of the jams.
The 44-year-old was replaced by Alan Busenitz after Smoak's two-out single in the seventh inning. Jose Bautista grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
Toronto's Aaron Loup overcame a leadoff bunt single by Polanco to complete the eighth.
Taylor Rogers pitched two-thirds of an inning in the eighth, allowing a walk and a single before being replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, who allowed a line drive to deep center field that was caught on a diving play by Buxton for the third out.
T.J. House made his Blue Jays' debut in the top of the ninth, allowing three hits, including Buxton's RBI single, and a walk.
Minnesota's John Curtiss pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth in his major league debut.
The Twins scored three runs in the third.
Brian Dozier walked with one out and took third on Joe Mauer's single. Dozier scored on Buxton's bunt single fielded by Happ, who decided he had no play at home from his knees and found no one covering first base.
Polanco followed with a two-run double.
Smoak hit his 35th homer of the season with two outs in the bottom of the third. He set a club record for homers by a switch-hitter, passing the 34 hit by Jose Cruz Jr.
Mitch Garver tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Max Kepler in the fourth to restore the Twins' three-run lead.
The Twins added a run in the fifth. Mauer doubled, took third on Buxton's bunt single and scored on Eduardo Escobar's sacrifice fly.
NOTES: Toronto RHP Nick Tepesch was reinstated from the paternity list Friday and then optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. The move opens the possibility of RHP Joe Biagini, who has been starting at Buffalo, making the start Sunday in the series finale against Minnesota. ... RF Jose Bautista played third base Friday, allowing 3B Josh Donaldson to be used as DH. Blue Jays regular DH Kendrys Morales grounded out as a pinch hitter in the sixth. ... Twins RHP Dillon Gee (1-0, 2.84 ERA) will face Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (5-8, 5.07) Saturday afternoon in the second game of the three-game series.
