Ronny Paulino homers twice as Marlins complete three-game sweep, beat Blue Jays 11-3

Paulino homers twice, Marlins beat Blue Jays 11-3

TORONTO — Ronny Paulino hit two home runs, Josh Johnson pitched his second complete game of the season and the Florida Marlins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 11-3 Sunday for a sweep.

The Marlins took the three-game series and won their eighth in a row overall at Toronto. The Blue Jays lost their fourth straight game and fell to 0-6 in interleague play.

Paulino went 4 for 5, scoring three runs and driving in three with his first career multihomer game. He hit a two-run drive in the second inning and added a solo shot in the ninth.

Johnson (6-1) gave up seven hits and won his third straight decision. He struck out six and walked three.

This was the third time the Marlins have swept Toronto in a three-game series. They did it in Miami in 2006 and at Toronto in 1997.

Florida had a season-high 18 hits and improved to 17-4 against the Blue Jays, including 10-2 in Toronto. Alex Rios and Kevin Millar homered for Toronto.

The Marlins took the lead in the second against Brian Tallet (4-4) when Wes Helms hit a sacrifice fly and Paulino followed with a home run.

Hanley Ramirez hit an RBI single in the third and Florida broke it open with a four-run fourth. Brett Carroll hit a two-run single, Emilio Bonifacio chased Tallet with an RBI single and Ramirez had a sacrifice fly off reliever Dirk Hayhurst.

Tallet (4-4) allowed eight runs and 10 hits in a season-low 3 1-3 innings. He became the second Blue Jays starter in as many days to not pitch past the fourth, following Casey Janssen, who lasted 3 2-3 innings in Saturday’s 6-5 defeat.

Rios hit a two-run homer in the fourth, his second in as many days, and Millar connected later in the inning to make it 8-3.

Johnson responded by setting down the next 11 batters, a stretch that ended with Aaron Hill’s one-out single in the eighth. Vernon Wells followed with a walk but Johnson got Adam Lind to ground into a double play.

Chris Coghlan drew a bases-loaded walk off Jesse Carlson in the seventh and Carroll scored on Brandon League’s wild pitch in the ninth.

NOTES: Wells went 0 for 3 with a walk and is hitless in 17 at-bats. He has not homered in 137 at-bats, the longest such drought of his career. … Florida swept an AL opponent for the first time since May 18-20, 2007, at Tampa Bay. … The Marlins are 15-7 against left-handed starters. … Toronto announced the signing of 20 draft picks, including 1B Lance Durham, the son of former Chicago Cub Leon Durham, and SS Jonathan Fernandez, the son of former Blue Jays SS Tony Fernandez.