Two-out magic. Three different innings. Four runs in each.
That was the equation Saturday as the Toronto Blue Jays rolled to a 12-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles before 5,913 in Sahlen Field.
The Jays scored four runs apiece in the third, fifth and sixth innings to quickly turn the game into a runaway. All the runs came with two out, as the Jays went 9 for 12 in those spots over those three innings. Starter Hyun Jin Ryu retired 15 straight at one stretch and carried a shutout in the seventh.
"That's huge. And with Ryu on the mound that was great," manager Charlie Montoyo said of the offense. "It's tough to get hits with two outs and to get that many runs with two outs, that was impressive. A great job by the hitters."
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The Blue Jays got back-to-back homers in the third inning from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, with Guerrero's bolt to left giving him the major-league lead for the season with 26. Guerrero has gone deep in all three games of this series. Bo Bichette and Randal Grichuk collected three hits apiece, with Grichuk finding the left-field screen for a three-run homer in the fifth.
"We're gonna fight until they get the out," said Hernandez. "Every time that we had a chance to score we're gonna try our best to be aggressive when the pitch is around the zone and try to do damage. That's our main goal: To put some runs up for our pitchers."
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— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 26, 2021
Ryu strong on the mound
The Blue Jays were wondering if Ryu was going to give them a complete game before he struggled in the seventh and gave up four quick runs. He was pulled with two out. Ryu (7-4) retired 18 of the first 21 hitters he faced, including 15 in a row at one stretch, and needed only 63 pitches to get through the first six innings.
"I was mixing my pitches with the stuff that I can throw today, creating a lot of weak contacts," Ryu said through an interpreter. "And it resulted in me trying to pitch with less pitches. The count was low so it just felt pretty good in those 15 hitters."
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu (99) throws a pitch in the first inning at Sahlen Field in Buffalo.
Ryu said he threw a bullpen session between starts trying to hone his changeup after three straight subpar outings to start this month.
"I felt pretty good with my changeup compared to the last two outings I had," he said. "The biggest things I tried to work on were my balance and mechanics and my arm speed. I want to make sure that it came off at the same slot and the same arm speed as my other pitches."
Ryu struck out three to push his career total to 809, surpassing Byung-hyun Kim (806) for the second-most strikeouts all-time by a South Korean-born pitcher. The Korean strikeout leader is former Dodger Chan Ho Park (1,715).
Diamond dust
• Montoyo said Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, who has been on the 60-day IL with hip problems and hasn't played since May 1, has joined the Bisons in Syracuse and should start an injury rehab stint soon. Kirk, who had never played higher than Class A ball, got a surprise call to the leagues from the Alternate Training Site last year and batted .379 in nine games for the Jays.
Montoyo also said lefty reliever Ryan Borucki (forearm strain) threw a bullpen session here Friday and will throw again Monday or Tuesday. Borucki (3-1, 4.05) has been out since May 14 and will need some outings with the Bisons before he can return to the Jays' bullpen.
• Ross Stripling (2-4, 4.33) is the Toronto starter for Sunday's series finale at 1:07 while Baltimore goes with Jorge Lopez (2-9, 5.68).
