The Toronto Blue Jays wanted Ernie Clement to bunt. They were up a run in the fourth inning with two men on. Clement missed the sign. But in the end, everything worked out. That's because Clement proceeded to launch a three-run home run, putting the Blue Jays up 4-0 in a game they went on to win 5-1.

Shohei Ohtani led off the game with his 41st homer, but Ernie Clement hit the tiebreaking homer leading off the ninth inning, and the AL-leading Toronto Blue Jays hung on to avoid a series sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Leading off the top of the ninth for the Toronto Blue Jays in a tie game in Los Angeles, Clement crushed the first pitch he saw beyond the left-field fence to take the lead against the Dodgers. The lefty-masher strikes again. Clement entered the day with a .936 OPS against southpaws. That's higher now.

The Blue Jays gave Clement a late-season chance in 2023, and he hit .380 in a small sample size. In 2024, he was steady if not a star, batting .263 with a career-high 12 homers and 12 steals.

Clement is embarking on quite the power surge, having now gone deep in three straight games and four of his last five. The 29-year-old infielder is pushing to maintain steady playing time in Toronto's infield now that Andres Gimenez has returned from the injured list.

Target Alejandro Kirk's total bases prop for today's Blue Jays pick, odds & expert prediction against the Rangers on Saturday, August 16.