Surging in second half, Martin hits key HR

ANAHEIM — Russell Martin has been a part of the postseason for each of the past six years. If he has any say, that number will soon increase to seven.

Martin has done more than his fair share of heavy lifting during Toronto’s push for the playoffs and he was back at it Thursday night. The veteran catcher hit a key three-run homer that helped propel the Blue Jays to a 7-2 victory over the Angels at Angel Stadium.

Before Aug. 1, Martin had seven home runs. Since then, he has 12 and the sudden power surge has helped an otherwise struggling offense remain afloat in their pursuit of the American League East title or a Wild Card spot.

“Driving in runs always feels good, especially when you have a guy like [J.A.] Happ there pitching his butt off, putting up zeros for us,” said Martin, whose team remains two games back of Boston in the AL East and is tied with Baltimore for the first AL Wild Card spot.

“Just widen the lead, give us a little breathing room, it gives us a chance to relax and play the game and have fun with it, instead of being on edge …

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