Walk, walk, walk, single, grounder, walk, grand slam.
That's how the bottom of the first went Thursday night for the Toronto Blue Jays in Sahlen Field, and it gives you all the insight necessary into their 9-0 cakewalk past the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a 10-game homestand. Toronto improved to 38-35 and extended its season-high win streak to five games by scoring all of its runs over the first three innings.
"The Jays have taken a lot of heat in recent days, both from Buffalo fans and media, about their ticket price structure here and about changing prices of concessions," writes Mike Harrington.
Baltimore's Dean Kremer (0-7) never got out of a disastrous first inning as he recorded just one out and gave up six runs. The first three Toronto hitters walked before Teoscar Hernandez lined an RBI single, and Randal Grichuk plated another run with a groundout. After a Cavan Biggio walk, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. roped a first-pitch grand slam high into the left-field screen to put the Blue Jays in front 6-0. And that was that.
"He was kind of wild, a lot of walks, not locating his pitches," Gurriel said through an interpreter. "So that's what I was thinking and looking for, a pitch right down the center that I could put a lot of contact on, and that's what happened."
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"That was the key to the game, our patience," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "We grinded out the at-bats. ... If you didn't get your pitch, just go to first and give it to the next guy."
The Blue Jays had gone three straight games without a home run, tied for their longest stretch of the year. In addition to Gurriel's shot, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. belted his MLB-leading 24th of the season. It was a majestic shot in the second that nearly cleared the screen in left.
Five Toronto pitchers combined on a seven-hit shutout. Anthony Kay (1-2), just back from the Bisons, struck out eight over five innings to get the win. He fanned six over the first two innings to leave five runners on base.
A longtime supporter of the Bisons and the downtown ballpark, Brown was among many top local leaders who worked with the club as they have helped the Blue Jays turn Sahlen into a big-league park the last two years.
Orioles futility
The loss was the Orioles' 20th straight on the road – making them the first American League team to reach that mark since the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics set the AL mark of 22. The all-time MLB streak is currently ongoing, as the Arizona Diamondbacks have lost 23 straight away from Chase Field heading into Friday night's opener of a series in San Diego.
Baltimore's 20 straight road losses tie another Philadelphia A's streak, set in 1916, for second on the all-time AL list.Â
Coming off Wednesday's 13-0 loss to Houston in Camden Yards, the Orioles have endured shutout losses of 9-plus runs in consecutive games for the first time in their history. They have been outscored 24-0 in their last 24 innings over three days.
Baltimore is 23-52 overall and 1-14 in its last 15 games. In losing their last six games, the Orioles have been outscored 52-14.
Around the horn
• The series continues Friday night at 7:07 with an intriguing pitching matchup as Blue Jays rookie Alek Manoah (1-0, 4.18) goes against Baltimore's Matt Harvey (3-9, 7.80), the former New York Mets ace who was a standout for the Bisons in 2012, when he was the winning pitcher in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Buffalo.
Manoah is pitching while appealing the five-game suspension he earned for plunking Orioles infielder Maikel Franco last Saturday at Camden Yards, a pitch that sparked a bench-clearing discussion between the two teams.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette shares a laugh with second base umpire Joe West.
• Longtime MLB umpire Joe West is in town for the series and was working at second base Thursday. That would put him at first base Friday night and behind the plate Saturday afternoon.
West, 69, broke Hall of Famer Bill Klem's record for the most regular-season games by an umpire on May 25 in Chicago when he worked the plate in his 5,376th major-league game.
• The Blue Jays' 3-1 win Wednesday in Miami gave them a 13-2 record in interleague play this year, the most wins in the majors. It also ties the team mark in a season (13-7 marks in 2014, 2016 and 2018). The Jays have one interleague series left, Aug. 23-25 at Citi Field against the New York Mets. The Marlins' two games here June 1-2 were the Jays' last at home vs. the NL this season.
