Springer greets Astros fans with leadoff homer, Blue Jays win

HOUSTON (AP) — George Springer hit a leadoff homer in the first game against his former team, and Santiago Espinal homered for the second straight game Saturday to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros.

The Astros lost their fourth in a row.

The game was tied at 2 with one out in the seventh inning when Espinal, who hit his first homer this season in a win Friday night, connected off Blake Taylor (0-1).

The Blue Jays lead the majors with 20 home runs after clubbing four in the first two games of this series.

Alek Manoah (3-0) allowed seven hits and two runs while fanning five in six innings.

Kyle Tucker hit a leadoff single in the Houston ninth, but Adam Cimber struck out Nico Goodrum before pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz lined into an unassisted double play. Cimber got his first save.

Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer for Houston in the first inning, but the Astros couldn’t string much else together. Michael Brantley and Tucker each had three hits for Houston, but the bottom three in the order went 0 for 11 with six strikeouts.

Springer, who spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Astros, got a rousing ovation from the home crowd in his first appearance as a visitor in Houston. The 2017 World Series MVP was injured when the Blue Jays came to Houston last year and missed Friday’s game after being hit on the wrist by a pitch Wednesday night.

The Astros even played Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect,” a favorite walkup song of Springer’s during his time with the team, as he approached the plate for his first at-bat.

Springer then sent José Urquidy’s fifth pitch into the bullpen in right field to give Toronto an early lead. Springer smiled as he left the batter’s box and raised his right arm in