TORONTO – Russell Martin’s three-run homer in the sixth inning staved off a Baltimore comeback and the Toronto Blue Jays hung on to beat the Orioles 10-9 Sunday.
Trailing 5-0 in the first and 7-1 in the third, Baltimore used the long ball to get back to 7-6.
But Martin drove a 1-1 pitch off reliever Mychal Givens deep to centre field to drive in Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Saunders and pad the Toronto lead to 10-6 with his fifth home run of the season.
Adam Jones, with his second homer of the day and 11th of the season, made it interesting with a two-run shot off Pat Venditte in the eighth inning – Baltimore’s fifth blast of the day – to make it 10-8.
The Orioles had a chance to win it in the ninth against Jason Grilli. Manny Machado singled and Grilli walked Chris Davis and, after striking out Mark Trumbo, Matt Wieters to load the bases. Ezequiel Carrerra hauled in a Pedro Alvarez fly ball at the fence, scoring Machado on the sacrifice fly. But Grilli struck out Jonathan Schoop to end the threat and earn a nervy save.
Toronto (35-30) has won three straight, nine of its last 13 and now stands five games above .500 for the first time this season. The Orioles (36-26) have lost three in a row after a five-game win streak.
Toronto, collecting 10 or more hits for the third straight game, outhit Baltimore 14-13.
Jones, Wieters and Davis, homering for his fifth straight game to up his season total to 16, all found the fence off Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez (6-1) in a four-run fifth inning to cut the lead to 7-6.
It was the first time the Jays had surrendered three homers in one inning since June 24, 2013, at Tampa Bay.
Davis homered in each of the four games in Toronto. He did not play in Baltimore’s game Wednesday against Kansas City but homered again the Royals on Tuesday.
Alvarez hit a solo shot for the Orioles in the fourth. Kevin Pillar also homered for Toronto.
Baltimore came into the game leading the majors with 94 home runs while Toronto was tied for fifth with 83. The two combined for 19 homers in the four-game series.
Sanchez, who struck out a career-high 12 in his last start, came into the game leading the majors in ground ball outs at 59.5 per cent. He could have used a few more grounders in a difficult five-inning outing that saw him give up six runs on 10 hits – including four homers – with three walks and seven strikeouts.
The four homers were the most given up a Toronto starter since R.A. Dickey did it June 27, 2014, against the Chicago White Sox.
In posting a 3-1 series win over the Orioles, the Jays have now won six of their last seven completed series since May 19, going 16-7 in the process.
The game was played with the roof open on a breezy 19-degree Celsius day before a sellout crowd of 47,249. There was a moment of silence prior to the anthems for the victims of the Orlando shooting.
Encarnacion, who broke out of an 0-for-19 slump with a walk-off home Friday night, scored three times as he continued his hot hand with two hits and a walk. He reached base in nine straight plate appearances (BB, 2B, 1B, HR, HR, BB, 2B, BB, HR) before hitting into a fielder’s choice in the sixth.
Toronto sent nine men to the plate in the first inning and led 2-0 before starter Ubaldo Jimenez (3-7) registered an out with his 18th pitch. Six of the first seven Jays to bat notched a hit as Toronto built a 5-0 lead, chasing the veteran right-hander after 30 pitches.
Back-to-back doubles by Carrerra and Josh Donaldson, who had to wrap himself into a pretzel to evade an errant Jimenez delivery prior to the hit, and an Encarnacion RBI single made it 2-0. After a Saunders strikeout, Martin singled and Pillar doubled home another run before Devon Travis brought home two more with another double.
Reliever Vance Worley cleaned up and lasted until the fifth, yielding two runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
The Orioles got a run back in the second on three straight two-out singles.
Encarnacion doubled in the second inning stole third and came home on a throwing error to make it 6-1. Pillar’s leadoff homer in the third, banging off the third deck in left field, increased the Toronto lead to 7-1.
Jays right-fielder Jose Bautista did not start for the third game a row due to quad tightness.
Toronto wraps up this homestand with two games against the Phillies followed by a pair in Philadelphia.
The games at Citizens Bank Park mark the start of a 13-game stretch with 11 on the road.
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