Jacob Robson homers in Canada loss to Blue Jays in World Baseball Classic tune-up

Riley Tirotta hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated Canada's national baseball team 10-7 in an exhibition game Tuesday afternoon at their spring training site in Dunedin, Fla.

Tirotta's homer came after Canada came back to tie the game after giving up seven runs over the first two innings.

It was the first of Canada's two games against Major League Baseball opposition as it prepares for the World Baseball Classic.

Jesus Sanchez drove in three runs and Kevin Gausman pitched two scoreless innings to stake the Blue Jays to an early lead.

Canada started to chip away at the deficit once it started getting deep into the Jays' bullpen. The Canadians tied the game with a four-run eighth inning led by a solo home run from Jacob Robson.

Jack Cushing, who was charged with a blown save in the eighth, came back out for the ninth after Tirotta's homer and worked a scoreless inning to get the win.

Brock Dykxhoorn took the loss after giving up the go-ahead homer in the eighth.

Canada faces Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon before opening its WBC schedule on Saturday afternoon against Colombia in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Blue Jays have an off-day before returning to spring training action Thursday against Atlanta in North Port, Fla.

Sanchez opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first inning. Toronto piled on five more runs in the second on a walk to George Springer with the bases loaded, a two-run single from Nathan Lukes, a groundout from Daulton Varsho and a run-scoring single by Sanchez.

Canada got two back in the sixth off Jays reliever Lazaro Estrada through a Tyler O'Neill sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Owen Caissie. Jared Young added another with a bases-loaded