TORONTO (AP) Backed by an offensive barrage, Blue Jays left-hander Clayton Richard had a relatively easy time ending the longest losing streak of his career.
Freddy Galvis hit a pair of solo home runs, rookie Cavan Biggio had four RBIs and Toronto beat the Kansas City Royals 11-4 on Monday.
Randal Grichuk had four hits and four RBIs and Teoscar Hernández added a solo home run as the Blue Jays won for the 15th time in 19 regular-season home meetings with the Royals.
Richard (1-4) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings to win for the first time since Aug. 18, 2018, when he beat Arizona while pitching for San Diego. Hed lost nine straight decisions since.
Its huge, Richard said of earning his first win with Toronto. Thats why we play the game, is to win. It feels a lot better doing that than the alternative.
Richard has pitched six innings in back-to-back starts for the first time this season.
Thats all we can ask: five, six good innings, and he gave us again that today, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said.
Wearing red caps and jerseys in honor of Canada Day, the Blue Jays scored in each of the first four innings and finished with a season-high 18 hits.
Im impressed with Torontos team, their young crop of hitters, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Theyre going to be really a good group thats going to be able to put some runs on the board.
Biggio, who went 3 for 5, hit his first career grand slam in Saturdays 7-5 victory, the first time he had driven in four runs in a game.
Members of the Canadian Forces rappelled into the outfield from the open stadium roof before the game, before hundreds of servicemen and women unfurled a giant Canadian flag for the singing of O Canada.
I can see how much it means to so many people, and I feel honored and privileged to be a part of it, Richard said about pitching on Canada Day.
Royals right-hander Glenn Sparkman (2-4) allowed career highs of nine hits and eight runs in three innings.
I just really didnt have good command of anything and they jumped it, Sparkman said.
Ahead 2-0 after one, the Blue Jays scored five in the second, doing so for the second straight game. On Sunday, Toronto immediately surrendered five runs in the third and lost 7-6 to Kansas City the Royals only win in the four-game series.
Hernández homered on the first pitch of the second, his eighth, and Galvis followed with a blast to center. It was the seventh time this season the Blue Jays have gone back-to-back.