Red-hot O's ride 4 homers to win; Happ exits

April 16th, 2017

TORONTO -- The Orioles rolled into Rogers Centre this weekend and made a clear statement that they are a force to be reckoned with in the American League East.
homered twice while Manny Machado and each added one of their own in an 11-4 victory over the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon. The Orioles have won five out of six games vs. Toronto this season and have a 6 1/2-game lead over their division rival.
Right-hander tossed six scoreless innings, but his strong performance was overshadowed by another powerful showing from his team's offense. It was the second multi-homer game of the season for Mancini, while J.J. Hardy chipped in with a pair of doubles and Gentry finished with two hits and three RBIs.

"I thought Dylan was key to the game. Dylan was really good," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We've got some really good pitching. I'm aware that Toronto's going to make somebody pay for their early season. They've got a great track record of playing good offensive baseball and they will again.
"They've got good pitching ... [but] Trey did put a couple good swings on balls today."

Left-hander J.A. Happ got the start for Toronto but he was forced to leave in the fifth inning because of soreness in his left elbow. Once he left, the game quickly got away from the Blue Jays as allowed four runs while retiring just one batter and lefty allowed five more with the same number of outs.
"Today was really the first time all year that felt like a sloppy game," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We weren't real good. We didn't get off to a good start. First and third, no outs, and we came up empty. After that nice tight win yesterday ... It's part of a baseball season. Every team goes it, you just learn how to deal with it."
The Orioles improved to 8-3 on the season while Toronto dropped to 2-10 as its worst start in franchise history continued. Each team will take the day off on Monday before the Orioles open a series vs. the Reds on Tuesday and the Blue Jays wait for a matchup with Boston.
Britton placed on DL with left forearm soreness
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Mancini's moment: Baltimore carried a 1-0 lead into the top of the sixth inning before Mancini broke the game wide open with a three-run shot to left. According to Statcast™, Mancini's third home run of the year was projected to travel 404 feet and it left his bat at 108 mph. Before the inning was over, the Orioles added two more runs on a double by Hardy and a sacrifice fly by Gentry. Four of the runs were charged to Tepera, who allowed three hits and a walk while retiring just one batter.

"I'm seeing the ball pretty well and I'm just trying my best," said Mancini. "Right now, I'm just feeling really relaxed at the plate more than anything." More >
Down goes Happ: On the same day the Blue Jays lost to the disabled list, Happ also went down with an injury. Happ left in the fifth after throwing a first-pitch fastball to . The extent of the injury will not be known until he undergoes an MRI, but there was no hesitation on the part of Toronto's medical staff to remove him from the game. He left in a scoreless game but Baltimore added a run when Jones singled to right field and then got caught in a rundown between first and second, which allowed Hardy to score from third.
"It's disappointing because the game was going well," Happ said. "I was kind of establishing myself again, bouncing back from the game before a little bit. Little concerning and definitely frustrating."
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Dermody allowed three homers in the eighth inning, which marked the sixth time in franchise history a Blue Jays pitcher did that in one frame. Brian Tallet had been the last one to do it, on July 9, 2010 vs. Boston.
WHAT'S NEXT
Orioles: Baltimore has a day off on Monday before opening a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. (0-0, 10.38 ERA) gets the ball in the series opener on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET. The right-hander allowed five earned on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings of work against the Red Sox last Wednesday.
Blue Jays: Toronto will enjoy an off-day on Monday before opening a three-game series vs. Boston on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre. Right-hander (1-1, 1.76 ERA) will take the mound vs. Red Sox lefty . Stroman is coming off the second complete game of his career after he allowed two runs in a start against Milwaukee but he still took the loss because of a lack of run support. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET.
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