TORONTO – Drew Hutchison struck out seven and did not allow a single baserunner in the first five innings of play as the Toronto Blue Jays routed the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Thursday to complete a three-game series sweep.
Hutchison (2-0) finished with two earned runs on four hits and one hit batter over eight innings of work. It’s the longest outing of any Blue Jays pitcher this season.
Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer and a double to lead Toronto’s (9-7) offence. Kevin Pillar, starting in right field for the injured Jose Bautista, had two hits and two runs batted in.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said before the game that Bautista would likely not have to go on the disabled list for a strained right shoulder sustained in Tuesday’s 13-6 win.
READ MORE: Encarnacion homers twice as Toronto Blue Jays beat Baltimore Orioles 13-6
However, backup catcher Dioner Navarro was placed on the 15-day DL earlier Thursday with a strained hamstring. Josh Thole was called up from triple-A Buffalo to replace him.
Chris Tillman (2-2) struggled through 4 1/3 innings of work in the start for Baltimore (7-9). He gave up seven earned runs on five hits and five walks, striking out three.
Toronto opened the scoring in the third inning when Devon Travis hit into a fielder’s choice, giving Danny Valencia the chance to cross home.
Orioles catcher Ryan Lavarnway dropped the ball on the play, so Pillar tried to score from third. Lavarnway recovered the ball quickly and easily tagged out Pillar.
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Donaldson hit a home run to the second deck in left field in the next at-bat, driving in Travis and giving the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead.
READ MORE: Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar scales wall to rob Rays of home run
Valencia added to Toronto’s lead in the next inning, driving in Justin Smoak with a double to left field. Pillar then made up for his earlier gaffe with a lucky bounce — his hit up the left-field line bounced off third base and into left field, bringing home Russell Martin and Valencia for a 6-0 Blue Jays lead.
Extra-base hits fuelled Toronto’s offence in the fifth inning as well. A double put Donaldson on base, followed by a Smoak walk. Martin then hit a double to left, cashing in Donaldson.
Manny Machado ended Hutchison’s bid for a perfect game with a home run on the first pitch of the sixth inning, driving the ball over the left-field fence to make it 7-1.
Baltimore tacked on another run, when Delmon Young’s single to centre field drove home Adam Jones from second.
A single by Young in the ninth inning plated Jones, chipping at Toronto’s lead.
Machado then crushed a 2-2 pitch from Blue Jays reliever Miguel Castro to the second deck in left field, driving in Young and Travis Snider to make it 7-6. Castro struck out Lavarnway for the final out of the game and his fourth save of the season.
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