Blue Jay bats leave Orioles smarting
TORONTO Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie and Edwin Encarnacion all belted three-run homers as the Toronto Blue Jays kicked off a sixgame homestand with a 9-3 American League baseball victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.
Lawrie’s eighth-inning blast to centre field cracked a 3-3 tie and helped make a winner of reliever Steve Delabar (2-0). Cabrera’s shot came later in the frame while Encarnacion put Toronto (11-9) on the board with his homer in the sixth inning.
Juan Francisco and Josh Thole chipped in with two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who outhit the Orioles 9-8. Reliever Evan Meek (0-1) shouldered the loss for Baltimore (9-10).
The first half of the game was a pitcher’s duel between Toronto’s R.A. Dickey and Baltimore’s Miguel Gonzalez.
After a clean first inning, Baltimore’s Steve Clevenger had the first hit of the game with a oneout double to the gap in right-centre field. Dickey induced a couple of grounders to keep him at second base.
The veteran knuckleballer showed his Gold Glove form in the third inning. He bare-handed Steve Lombardozzi’s bunt and threw a strike to first to get him by a halfstep. Dickey then snared a comebacker by Nick Markakis to get the third out.
Thole doubled to open the bottom half of the third. Gonzalez wasn’t fazed as he got Ryan Goins on a pop-up and struck out José Reyes and Cabrera.
Dickey responded by f anning the meat of the Orioles’ lineup in order. Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis both struck out swinging after each received three straight knuckleballs. Adam Jones struck out looking.
The Blue Jays put runners on the corners in the fourth but couldn’t push a run across.
Francisco belted a two-out standup triple that was a foot short of clearing the fence in centre field. Colby Rasmus walked before Lawrie, from Langley, B.C., popped up to end the threat. In the fifth inning, Clevenger stroked a single to right field for Baltimore’s second hit. Dickey responded by getting three straight outs.
The Orioles opened the scoring in the sixth. Lombardozzi hit a flare to shallow left field that dropped in between Cabrera and Reyes. Both Blue Jays seemed to think the other had a read on the ball but neither did.