Orioles jump on Scherzer early, beat Blue Jays 7-4 in Toronto
The Baltimore Orioles wasted no time setting the tone Friday night, scoring six runs in the first two innings before holding off the Toronto Blue Jays for a 7-4 victory at Rogers Centre. Baltimore improved to 72-76 with the win and continued to hang around the American League Wild Card race with 14 games remaining in the regular season. The Orioles needed a strong start to an important series in Toronto, and they delivered one immediately.
Dylan Beavers put Baltimore in front on the second pitch of the game, driving a Max Scherzer cutter over the right-field wall for a leadoff home run. The blast immediately gave the Orioles a 1-0 advantage and served as an indication of what was coming against the veteran right-hander. Baltimore’s lineup attacked Scherzer early rather than allowing him to settle into the game.
Baltimore completely broke the game open in the second inning. Heston Kjerstad delivered an RBI single before Colton Cowser doubled home two more runs, extending the advantage to 4-0. Beavers then struck again with a two-run single as the Orioles opened the inning with six consecutive hits and scored five times to take a commanding 6-0 lead.
Beavers finished with two hits and three RBIs, supplying much of the production from the leadoff spot. Cowser drove in two runs, while Kjerstad added an RBI and Gunnar Henderson collected two hits as Baltimore finished with 11 hits as a team. It was the type of balanced offensive performance the Orioles have needed throughout their September push.
Chris Bassitt made sure the early offensive explosion held up. Returning to Toronto to face his former club, Bassitt worked through several scoring threats and limited the Blue Jays to two runs over five-plus innings. He surrendered six hits, walked three and struck out five while earning the victory.
One of Bassitt’s biggest moments came in the third inning when Toronto loaded the bases with two outs. Instead of allowing the Blue Jays to turn the game into a contest, Bassitt escaped the threat without surrendering a run and protected Baltimore’s six-run cushion. The escape proved particularly important because Toronto eventually started generating offense later in the game.
Toronto eventually broke through in the fourth inning, but Baltimore remained comfortably ahead. The Blue Jays added another run later, trimming the deficit, but the Orioles restored some separation when Coby Mayo homered to make it 7-2. Mayo’s power has become increasingly important for an Orioles lineup that has begun producing much more consistently in September.
Baltimore has now scored at least five runs in four consecutive games, an encouraging development for a club that cannot afford many losses down the stretch. The Orioles entered the Toronto series needing to make up ground quickly, and beating a Blue Jays team directly involved in the Wild Card race made Friday’s victory particularly significant. Baltimore’s offense has started showing the consistency that was missing during several difficult stretches this season.
Toronto made things slightly uncomfortable in the ninth inning. Brett Bateman connected for a two-run homer that cut Baltimore’s advantage to 7-4, but the comeback attempt ended there and the Orioles secured the series-opening victory. Baltimore’s bullpen did enough to protect the lead after Bassitt departed and prevent Toronto from completing a late rally.
The result also tightened an already crowded Wild Card picture. Toronto fell to 73-75, while Baltimore moved to 72-76, putting the Orioles only one game behind the Blue Jays in the standings. With the regular season entering its final weeks, every head-to-head victory against another team fighting for a postseason position carries additional importance.
Baltimore and Toronto still have five head-to-head games remaining, including the rest of this weekend’s series and another series in Baltimore from Sept. 21-23. That gives the Orioles a direct opportunity to continue gaining ground rather than relying entirely on help elsewhere. Winning these games could dramatically change Baltimore’s postseason outlook before the final week of the season.
The Orioles will continue the three-game series Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish is scheduled to start for Baltimore as the Orioles try to win the series and keep their increasingly interesting postseason push alive. After taking the opener, Baltimore has an opportunity to turn a successful night into a potentially significant weekend.
MSB Take
Do not bury the Orioles yet.
Baltimore put itself in a terrible position with its recent losing streak, but the Orioles have responded exactly how a team with postseason aspirations needed to respond. The offense has suddenly come alive, Beavers continues to look comfortable in important situations and Mayo is providing another dangerous power bat in the lineup. There is finally some momentum building at a point in the season when the Orioles desperately need it.
Friday’s win was especially meaningful because Baltimore did not simply beat a random opponent. The Orioles beat one of the teams standing directly between them and a potential Wild Card position, and they jumped all over Scherzer while doing it. Taking care of Toronto head-to-head is one of the fastest ways Baltimore can change the standings.
There is still almost no margin for error. Baltimore needs to keep winning series and probably needs another extended winning streak before anyone should start seriously planning for October. However, with five games remaining against Toronto and the standings becoming increasingly compressed, the Orioles have at least given themselves a chance.
A week ago the season looked close to finished. Now the Orioles are making September interesting again.
