TORONTO - Kazuma Okamoto continued to key the offense, but the Toronto Blue Jays came up short in Tuesday's 9-7, 11-inning loss to the Houston Astros.
A day after blasting his 17th home run and going 2-for-3, the Japanese third baseman drove in three runs during a 3-for-4 outing at Rogers Centre.
His two-out, two-run single put Toronto up 6-4 in the eighth before the Astros tied it in the top of the ninth.
After the Astros went up 9-6 in the top of the 11th, Okamoto made it a two-run game with his RBI single in the home half of the inning.
"I'm squaring the ball up pretty well," Okamoto said. "I've been seeing the ball well. I'll continue working at it and focus on the next game."
The 29-year-old former Yomiuri Giants standout's impressive Major League Baseball rookie campaign could be rewarded with an All-Star Game berth.
He was second among American League third basemen, trailing Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, in the latest voting tabulations released Monday.
In other MLB action, Kodai Senga (0-6) was knocked out after 3-2/3 innings in another rough outing for the New York Mets.
The right-hander was charged with the 9-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field after giving up seven runs, including two home runs, on three hits, five walks and a hit batsman.
At Target Field, Shohei Ohtani went hitless but drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and scored one run after drawing a walk for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 12-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. The two-way superstar is scheduled to take the mound in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
