Davis leads O's as Blue Jays lose ground
TORONTO -- Chris Davis hit a pair of home runs as the Orioles roughed up Blue Jays right-hander Drew Hutchison for six runs over five-plus innings in a 10-2 victory on Friday night at Rogers Centre.
The loss dropped Toronto's lead in the American League East to a half-game after the Yankees pulled out a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay earlier in the night. The Orioles kept their fading postseason hopes alive with the win to move six games back of Texas for the second AL Wild Card spot.
"As a whole offense, I think maybe we've been a little too aggressive, trying to do too much," Davis said. "And when you're not scoring a lot of runs, that tends to happen, so I think really the last couple of games we've beared down and tried to hit our pitch and not to do too much."
Baltimore right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez earned the victory despite some control issues. He matched his season high with six walks but limited the dynamic Blue Jays lineup to a pair of runs on four hits. It marked the fifth consecutive start that Jimenez didn't make it through six innings, but it was his first time since Aug. 8 that he didn't allow at least three runs.
Video: BAL@TOR: Jimenez gets Tulo looking for strike three
Hutchison had some trouble in a two-run second but then settled into a groove until the sixth inning. That's when his outing fell apart as he surrendered five consecutive hits, which included Davis' second home run. Hutchison was charged with six runs on nine hits and a pair of strikeouts.
Matt Wieters and Adam Jones also homered for the Orioles while Jonathan Schoop and Jimmy Parades added a pair of hits apiece. Baltimore will have a chance to secure its first series victory since Aug. 14-17 with a win either Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
"They have been rare -- we've been playing such good baseball," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of the one-sided affair. "But they have a powerful lineup, and if you don't pitch well against them, they can pound you. … It did feel a little bit weird. I remember thinking I haven't been out there on the field to take somebody out in a lopsided game like that."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Crush Davis: Davis sent his second homer over the wall in center field to spur a four-run sixth inning. The two-run shot came after a second-inning solo shot, giving the power-hitting first baseman multiple home runs for the second game in a row, the sixth time this season and the 13th time in his career. After his big fly in the sixth, Wieters went deep, giving the O's back-to-back homers for the fourth time this season. Davis has been involved each time.
Video: Must C Classic: Davis first to 40, makes O's history
"We're trying to get a ground ball right there, trying to get it down in the zone a little bit," Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin said of the second homer by Davis. "Left it up just high enough for him to get his arms extended and get it into the air. The last thing you want is for that guy to hit the ball in the air because he is so strong." More >
Revere puts it over: Ben Revere attempted to make a highlight-reel catch in the sixth inning but instead had his valiant effort backfire in the worst way possible. Toronto's left fielder attempted to make a leaping catch at the wall, but instead, Wieters' fly ball bounced off his glove and went over the fence for a home run. Revere has made elite-level plays on a regular basis in left, but this one didn't work out the way he anticipated.
Video: BAL@TOR: Revere assists Wieters' back-to-back homer
"You never wanna laugh at a player," Davis said. "The guy is obviously trying to make a great play, and I've seen a number of their outfielders do it all year, but in that instance it was just kind of funny because it was the first time I think things have kind of gone our way." More >
Jones' jack: Jones made it 10-2 with his 25th dinger of the season in the eighth, all but sealing the deal for Baltimore. After Gerardo Parra swatted a two-run double, Jones stepped to the plate and launched a two-run shot against Blue Jays reliever Bo Shultz.
Video: BAL@TOR: Jones pads the lead with a two-run shot
Tulo's tricky move: Troy Tulowitzki led off the bottom of the sixth with a sharp grounder to left that appeared to be an easy out. Second baseman Parades fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw to first went over the head of Davis. Tulowitzki had thoughts of advancing and took a step toward second, but Wieters had the play perfectly backed up. That meant Tulowitzki needed to make a quick dash back to first, and though Wieters arrived there first, Toronto's shortstop avoided the tag by jumping over the Orioles' catcher. Chris Colabello followed with a single, but the rally quickly came to an end after Martin hit into a double play and Kevin Pillar lined out. More >
Video: BAL@TOR: Tulo jumps at first to avoid Wieters' tag
QUOTABLE
"It's a foreign feeling, we're definitely not used to it. But they swung the bats well, they played better than us, so they deserved the win. But I'm looking forward to not feeling this again for sure." -- Martin, after the Blue Jays' most lopsided loss since April 24
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
With a walk in the fourth inning, Edwin Encarnacion extended his on-base streak to 34 consecutive games. That's tied for the sixth longest in franchise history, while the all-time Blue Jays' record belongs to Carlos Delgado, who reached base in 38 consecutive games during the 1998 season.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Mike Wright was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on Friday and will make the start Saturday at 1:07 p.m. ET as the Orioles take on the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Since he'll be pitching on three days of rest after his last rehab outing, Wright will be limited to about 60 pitches.
Blue Jays: No. 1 starter David Price will get the call on Saturday afternoon when the Blue Jays continue their three-game series against the Orioles. Price has yet to surrender more than three earned runs in a start since joining the Blue Jays prior to the non-waiver Trade Deadline.
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