Blue Jays end White Sox win streak

TORONTO - Though Russell Martin isn't among the home run leaders, he certainly makes them count.

The veteran catcher hit a game-tying homer in the sixth inning to help rally the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-3 victory over the White Sox on Sunday.

Of Martin's 7 home runs, 5 have either tied the game or given Toronto the lead.

"Timing is everything," he said of his 2-run drive that bounced off the top of the center-field fence and chased Chicago starter James Shields from the game.

Ryan Goins' first triple of the season two batters later drove in the winning run.

The win snapped Chicago's 3-game winning streak and prevented the White Sox from tying a club record with a seventh consecutive win at Rogers Centre. The White Sox have won nine of the last 11 games and the last four series against the Blue Jays.

Kendrys Morales added a monster home run in the bat-around seventh, a moon shot into the fourth deck of Rogers Centre to give the Blue Jays their 27th multi-home run game of the season. Toronto is 19-8 in those games.

"That's kind of our DNA," Martin said. "We love the long ball. Kind of built that way."

J.A. Happ (2-4) picked up his first home win of the season. In his second-longest start, the left-hander giving up 8 hits over 6⅔ innings while striking out nine. Roberto Osuna worked the ninth.

"The White Sox were playing a great series, played really good defense," Happ said. "I was just trusting we would do the same and grind back in that ball game and the huge sixth inning there was awesome, Russ with the big hit and we kept going."

In his first start since April 16, Shields lasted 5⅔ innings, giving up 7 hits and 3 runs, including the 2-run shot from Martin that ended his afternoon. Anthony Swarzak (3-2) took the loss.

Shields tipped his cap to Martin on the tying homer.

"I left it up a little bit but it was off the plate a little bit too and he put a good swing on it and unfortunately it hit the top the wall," he said.

Melky Cabrera singled and doubled for his seventh multi-hit effort in the last 11 games, while Jose Abreu drove in 2 runs to extend his hit streak to seven games, marking the fifth consecutive game he has registered at least one RBI.

Despite the loss, manager Rick Renteria was optimistic after witnessing his club post consecutive series victories.

"I know we're swinging the bats a little better," he said. "It's like anything, you get into little grooves and obviously we've been in the groove the last six or seven days."