Estrada, Travis avert an Orioles sweep
An error, a three-run homer and Marco Estrada provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a feel-good victory against the Baltimore Orioles.
Estrada matched his career-high with 12 strikeouts, Devon Travis took care of the offence and Toronto averted a threegame sweep with a 3-1 American League baseball win Sunday.
Travis connected in the first inning off Wade Miley (1-2) following a two-out error and a single. Those three unearned runs turned out to be enough to provide lastplace Toronto with its second victory in nine games against the O’s this season.
“I think it’s huge, especially where we’re at,” manager John Gibbons said. “It’s been a tough go.”
Estrada (3-2) allowed one run, five hits and a walkover 7 2/3 innings.
“Great lineup,” the right-hander said. “You have to make pitches because any one of them can hit it out, especially in this ballpark.”
Estrada is 5-1 against Baltimore, including 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts this year.
“He’s always pitched so well against this team,” Gibbons said. “This is maybe the toughest ballpark to pitch in, especially a day game when it’s warm. The ball flies.”
Baltimore’s Adam Jones hit a solo shot in the fourth inning, but that was the extent of the damage against Estrada.
Joe Smith struck out Chris Davis with two on in the eighth, and Roberto Osuna got three outs for his sixth save in nine chances.
Toronto has been trying for weeks to recover from a 2-11 start. The Blue Jays were starting to gather a bit of momentum before dropping a pair of two-run games — the first in extra innings — to start this series.
“When you lose the first two games obviously you want to stop that,” Estrada said. “You don’t want to get swept anywhere. Just to win a ball game, is all.”
Jones went 3 for 4, but the Orioles fell to 15-4 at home.
Miley gave up three runs, none of them earned, and six hits over seven innings of work. The left-hander hasn’t won since April 14.
“He gave us a great chance to win today,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “We just couldn’t do anything against Estrada.”
Baltimore committed a season-high three errors. The most costly miscue was the first-inning grounder up the middle botched by second baseman Jonathan Schoop, which set up Travis’ drive into the left-field seats.
After taking Monday off, Toronto calls on right-hander Joe Biagini (1-2, 3.41 ERA) in the opener of a two-game series in Milwaukee.