Staked to early lead, Borucki unravels vs. O's

BALTIMORE -- Ryan Borucki was well on his way to picking up back-to-back quality starts until one pitch derailed those ambitions and instead cost the rookie left-hander a shot at picking up the fourth victory of his career.
Borucki limited the Orioles to one run through four innings until Adam Jones hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth, sending the Blue Jays to a 10-5 loss on Wednesday night at Camden Yards. Right-hander Danny Barnes was the pitcher of record after he allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen.
The 24-year-old Borucki was one out away from escaping the fifth inning without any damage. That changed when Borucki left an 82.5-mph changeup up in the zone, and Jones took advantage by sending a blast over the wall in left field for the second grand slam of his career, and first since July 28, 2008.
• Donaldson placed on waivers; health a factor
"It was frustrating, obviously, I was in control and then that fifth inning came along," Borucki said. "I made some good pitches, they got some good hits, and then that bad changeup to Jones. He took advantage, and that's why he is who he is, and he's supposed to hit those pitches, so that's on me."
The look on Borucki's face after the ball left the yard said it all. He put his hands on top of his head and then took a long, slow walk behind the mound and toward second base. At one point, Borucki appeared to yell something in frustration into his glove and began to kick at the grass as Jones rounded the bases. He was frustrated, and rightfully so after one pitch ruined an otherwise positive day.
The subpar outing from Borucki, combined with Barnes' struggles out of the bullpen, overshadowed an otherwise productive day for the Blue Jays. First baseman Justin Smoak hit his 21st home run of the season, Kevin Pillar added a solo shot of his own during a three-run second and Devon Travis finished with two doubles and his 11th home run of the season.

The Blue Jays' pitching staff has now surrendered double-digit hits in six consecutive games. That's the third-longest streak in the Major Leagues this season, and Toronto's longest since Aug. 19-24, 2014. The Blue Jays entered play on Wednesday with 1,217 hits allowed this season, which was the fourth most in the American League. Toronto's 381 hits surrendered since the All-Star break is the most in the Major Leagues.
"I try to keep it together out there," Borucki said when asked about his emotions and level of frustration. "I didn't want to show too much, but I was definitely frustrated in myself. I just made a bad pitch. My changeup is my go-to pitch, but it just wasn't a good one. I tried to keep my emotions down a little bit, but it was definitely frustration."
• Morales, Estrada clear waivers
Toronto swept the Orioles in each of its last three series, but Baltimore returned the favor this time around with a three-game sweep at Camden Yards. This marks the first time the Blue Jays have been swept by the Orioles since Sept. 15-17, 2014. Overall, the Blue Jays are 12-4 against Baltimore this season.
"I think as the game wore on, the ball started coming up in the zone," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Borucki. "He's the kind of guy, he's going to keep you off-balance, he needs to roll ground balls and he has to live down [in the zone]. He can do that. No excuses, but it's a [pain] pitching out there in that humidity. Everybody is out there scuffling."
GRICHUK'S GAINS
Randal Grichuk continues to show progress during the second half of the season, as he reached base four times in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Grichuk finished 3-for-4 with a walk and is now riding a six-game hitting streak. The 27-year-old was slashing .103/.203/.221 on June 1, but he is now batting .247 with a .793 OPS.
"I'll tell you what, he's locked in right now," Gibbons said. "He's really showed me something. He has played really, really well since he came back from that knee injury. Some good at-bats. He's fouling off pitches to stay alive, and when he uses the whole field, that's when he's really good."
SOUND SMART
Pillar has at least one hit in 12 consecutive games against the Orioles. Pillar is batting .396 (19-for-48) during that stretch, and he's batting .400 (18-for-45) in 11 games against Baltimore this season. He singled in the ninth inning to record his 30th multi-hit game of the season, and his seventh against the O's.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will enjoy an off-day on Thursday before opening a three-game Interleague series against the Marlins on Friday night at Marlins Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Right-hander Aaron Sanchez (3-5, 4.95 ERA) will get the call in the series opener. It will be his second start since returning from the 60-day disabled list with a right finger contusion. Miami is set to counter with right-hander Dan Straily (5-6, 4.35).