TORONTO -- George Springer hit his 65th leadoff home run and the Toronto Blue Jays sent Paul Skenes to losses in consecutive starts for the first time this season, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 Saturday for their fourth straight win and seventh in 10 games.
Skenes (6-4), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, allowed four runs, one walk and a career-high nine hits in five-plus innings with two strikeouts, just his second time with fewer than five this season. His ERA rose to 3.00.
Skenes left after giving up four straight hits in the sixth. In his previous outing, against Philadelphia on May 17, Skenes tied his big league high by giving up five runs.
Patrick Corbin (2-1) allowed one run and five hits in six innings with a season-high seven strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save in eight chances.
Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy and manager Don Kelly were ejected in separate incidents in the sixth. Murphy was tossed after plate umpire Alan Porter initially missed a challenge request from catcher Henry Davis, and Kelly was tossed for arguing a checked swing call.
Springer homered on Skenes' third pitch of the game, snapping the right-hander's 15-inning road scoreless streak. Springer has five homers this season and is second in leadoff homers to 81 by Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson.
Entering Saturday, Skenes had allowed two or fewer runs in 16 consecutive starts against the American League, the longest streak versus any league to begin a career since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, according to ESPN Research.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
