Encarnacion slugs 2 HRs in Jays' win over O's

June 11th, 2016

TORONTO -- Edwin Encarnacion was back at it again Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre, with a pair of home runs, including a sixth-inning three-run blast, to lead the Blue Jays to an 11-6 victory over the Orioles.
A night after Toronto's designated hitter hit a walk-off 10th-inning shot and recorded his 600th RBI as a member of the Blue Jays, the 33-year-old went 3-for-3 with five RBIs and a pair of walks.
"I just tried to make adjustments during the game," Encarnacion said. "If I don't make adjustments, then they will make adjustments to me."
Cast your Esurance All-Star ballot for Encarnacion, Machado and other #ASGWorthy players
The Blue Jays entered the bottom of the sixth trailing 4-3, and Encarnacion's home run capped a five-run rally. The veteran slugger also added a solo drive in the the eighth as the Blue Jays won for the seventh time in their past nine games at Rogers Centre, and have won two of the first three in their four-game series against Baltimore.
Encarnacion's mastery of O's continues
Toronto starter J.A. Happ wasn't at his best, but fired seven innings of four-run ball to pick up his team-leading seventh win. Happ struck out five, but surrendered nine hits and three home runs.
"I kept battling out there," Happ said. "I tried to get us through some innings. Against that lineup in this park with the wind blowing, you can't make mistakes. I made some mistakes and they hit it out, so I tried to keep going and tried to keep executing."

Orioles reliever T.J. McFarland took the loss after allowing four of Toronto's five runs in the sixth. It was the third time in 11 appearances that McFarland allowed three or more earned runs. The 27-year-old left-hander entered Saturday's contest with a 5.68 ERA in seven prior appearances at Rogers Centre.
"I wasn't hitting the strike zone as much as I normally do, those two walks there in the sixth were costly," McFarland said. "Those are two guys I need to get out and I wasn't able to pound the strike zone."

Chris Davis homered for the fourth straight game, while the Orioles also got homers from Joey Rickard and Manny Machado. Baltimore's defeat was only its third in 11 games this month, and the third in six games against the Blue Jays this season.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Edwin at it again ... and again:
For the second consecutive game, Encarnacion provided the deciding blow, notching a three-run home run on a 1-0 fastball against McFarland. According to Statcast™, Encarnacion's home run left the bat at 107 mph at a launch angle of 31 degrees, and traveled a projected 427 feet into the second deck. Encarnacion's second shot in the bottom of the eighth gave him his first multi-home run game since April 15, and the 23rd of his career.

Leading briefly: For a second consecutive day the Orioles blew a sixth-inning lead. Machado briefly gave Baltimore a 4-3 lead with his 16th home run of the season taking Happ's 2-2 pitch over the left field wall. However, like they did on Friday night, the Blue Jays responded in the bottom half of the inning putting up a five spot. More >

Following up:Michael Saunders followed Encarnacion's second home run with a solo shot of his own, his 11th homer of the season. It was also Saunders' sixth homer against a left-handed pitcher this year, his highest total against southpaws since hitting eight in 2012. It marked the third time this season the Blue Jays hit back-to-back home runs in a game.

Going deep: Davis took Happ's first pitch in the fourth inning over the right-field wall for a two-run home run -- his 15th of the season -- as part of a three-run inning for Baltimore. Rickard led off the three-run fourth inning with his fifth home run as the O's erased a 3-0 deficit to tie the game.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
With his RBI double in the third, Encarnacion has recorded an RBI in nine consecutive games against the Orioles.

The Blue Jays recorded a franchise-record-tying four sacrifice flies. Toronto accomplished the feat twice prior to Saturday.

WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (3-6, 6.12 ERA) gets the ball for the O's on Sunday in the series finale against the Blue Jays at 1:07 p.m. ET. Jimenez will look to build off his last outing against the Red Sox on Tuesday where he allowed one earned run on nine hits while striking out four over five innings, earning his first win since May 7.
Blue Jays: Right-hander Aaron Sanchez (5-1, 2.91 ERA) starts for the Blue Jays in the series finale. The 23-year-old right-hander took a one-hit shutout into the ninth his last time out against the Tigers on Tuesday, only to see Detroit rally for a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. Sanchez has allowed three runs or less in nine of his 12 starts this season.
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