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Encarnacion Hits Walkoff Homer As Jays Drop Angels

TORONTO (AP) -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a game-ending home run in the 12th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Los Angeles 4-3 on Thursday night, dealing the Angels another blow in their chase for a playoff berth.

Encarnacion led off the 12th with a drive down the left field line off Garrett Richards (0-2), his 17th homer of the season. Encarnacion turned to watch the ball and with his right arm kept trying to wave it fair. The ball ended up just inside the foul pole.

Shawn Camp (5-3) worked one inning for the win as the Blue Jays improved to 11-0 in extra inning games at home. Toronto is the first team in recorded history to win 10 or more extra-inning home games without a defeat.

The defeat dropped the Angels three games behind idle Boston in the wild card race. Tampa Bay, which won in New York earlier in the evening, closed to within two games of the Red Sox.

Toronto put the winning run at third base in the ninth but couldn't score. Jose Bautista hit a one-out single off Scott Downs and Adam Lind followed with a walk. Jordan Walden came on and got Encarnacion to ground into a fielder's choice, with Lind forced out at second. Kelly Johnson worked the count to 3-2 before flying out to left, sending the game to extra innings.

Angels infielder Alberto Callaspo opened the scoring with a home run to right off Henderson Alvarez in the second, his sixth.

Toronto tied it with a two-out rally in the fifth when Eric Thames doubled and scored on a base hit by Bautista. Lind singled to put runners at first and second but Edwin Encarnacion flied out.

The Angels immediately reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth. Erick Aybar led off with a single and scored on Howie Kendrick's triple. One out later, Kendrick scored on Torii Hunter's groundout to shortstop.

Angels right-hander Ervin Santana left after Thames homered to right to begin the seventh, his 12th of the season and second in two days.

Bobby Cassevah came on and walked Bautista before Lind hit a sharp grounder that bounced away from first baseman Mark Trumbo for an error and rolled into shallow centerfield. Bautista moved to third but Lind was thrown out trying to advance to second. Cassevah's next offering was a wild pitch that allowed Bautista to score, tying it at 3-all.

Encarnacion chased Cassevah with a double but Hisanori Takahashi came on and got Colby Rasmus and Kelly Johnson to fly out.

Santana, who came in 0-3 with a 4.74 ERA in his previous three starts, allowed two runs and six hits in six-plus innings but didn't figure in the decision. He walked five and struck out five.

Alvarez allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings. The right-hander, who has not won in four starts, walked none and struck out four.

The Blue Jays lost their designated hitter when Bautista entered the game defensively in the ninth. Ninth-hitter Adam Loewen started in right but was replaced by pinch hitter J.P. Arencibia in the eighth. Bautista took over in right.

NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Farrell said Encarnacion, Mark Teahen and Chris Woodward will split time at third base in the final week of the season following rookie Brett Lawrie's injury. Lawrie suffered a fractured finger when he was hit by a ground ball during batting practice Wednesday. ... Toronto finished it's home schedule with a record of 42-39. ... The game drew a crowd of 22,769, bringing Toronto's season attendance to 1,818,103.

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