A Toronto victory over Baltimore in an afternoon game at Rogers Centre vaults the Blue Jays past the Orioles and into first place.
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In the first inning, Encarnacion smacked his 28th home run of the season, a solo shot that was the 34th homer of his career versus Baltimore, the most he has hit against any opponent.
The Orioles are 11-0 in Tillman’s last 11 starts against the American League East, and 5-0 in Tillman’s last five Sunday Starts.
“Obviously, we’re not playing the way we’re capable of right now”, Gallardo said. “But I still feel I can give the team quality innings”. I feel like it’s been that way all year.
“We have that, so we’re feeling pretty good about it”.
Making his second start after a stint on the disabled list with a sore back, Estrada (6-4) allowed four runs, three earned, and five hits in six innings.
The Blue Jays let Orioles’ starter Yovani Gallardo off the hook in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with just one out but failing to capitalize as Troy Tulowitzki popped out and Russell Martin struck out. They’re a good team.
Kolten Wong had three hits and drove in two runs and Jeremy Hazelbaker hit a two-run homer for St. Louis. Days like today are flawless.
The team signed reliever Logan Ondrusek, who most recently pitched in Japan, for an additional bullpen arm, but Executive Vice President Dan Duquette said the search goes on.
“They’re a good offensive team, they make you pay for mistakes”, Showalter said.
As the non-waiver trade deadline – Monday at 4 p.m. – approaches, the Orioles are searching for ways to upgrade their pitching.
With a third of the season still to be played, the Blue Jays seemed to be taking the achievement in stride.
Happ fell behind first when Pedro Alvarez fished for a curveball and jacked it over the wall in right with two out in the second.
Machado made it a one-run game on the first pitch of the eighth with his 22nd homer of the season off Jason Grilli.
Gallardo failed to get an out after that, issuing back-to-back walks to Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson and then yielding an RBI double to Edwin Encarnacion as Gallardo reached his third time through the order. Happ’s hot streak has propelled his victory count to 13, topping the 12 games he won for Philadelphia in 2009.Happ yielded just one hit over six scoreless innings in a victory over Seattle in his last turn and has posted a 1.48 ERA over his last four outings. “Tulo put up a tough at-bat and laid off a tough slider 3-2. You might not see it again and sometimes it can catch you off-guard”. We’re swinging the bats well, we’re playing good defense and we’re pitching well.
“Just a flat breaking ball, he’s been a little inconsistent with it when he’s gotten into trouble”, Showalter said of Givens. And while nothing should be taken granted against an offence as powerful as the Orioles’, the game was effectively over at that point. Pillar added another two-run double in the seventh for good measure.
Marco Estrada is still dealing with the sore back that forced him to skip his first All-Star Game.
HUSTLE RUN: Manny Machado scored all the way from first base on an infield out by Chris Davis in the third.
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A four-run seventh helped the Cleveland Indians to a 5-3 win over the Oakland Athletics, while elsewhere the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees 5-1, the Boston Red Sox saw off the Los Angeles Angels 6-2 and the Minnesota Twins sunk the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in 12.
