Anthony Santander had two home runs, and three RBIs and made a spectacular catch as the visiting Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 on Wednesday night.
Jackson Holliday added a two-run homer as the Orioles split the first two games of a three-game series. The Orioles’ 20-year-old rookie infielder became the youngest player in American League history to hit a home run in three straight games.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 19 games for Toronto. Leo Jimenez added three doubles.
Toronto starter Bowden Francis allowed two runs, three hits and one walk in five innings. He matched his career best with seven strikeouts.
Baltimore starter Trevor Rogers also went five innings, giving up three runs (two earned), seven hits and two walks to go along with two strikeouts. Burch Smith (3-0) pitched a perfect sixth to earn the win.
Colton Cowser opened the game with a walk. Santander followed with a homer to right-center.
Toronto scored once in the home half of the first. Ernie Clement, Guerrero and Alejandro Kirk all singled to load the bases, and Spencer Horwitz hit a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Jays scored twice in the second to take a 3-2 lead. Jimenez doubled with one out and scored when Brian Serven blooped a single to center off second baseman Holliday’s glove. Serven later came home on third baseman Coby Mayo’s throwing error on Clement’s grounder.
Baltimore took the lead in the seventh against Ryan Burr (0-1) thanks to Holliday’s fourth homer this season. It also scored Eloy Jimenez, who had reached second on an infield single and an error, then took third on an errant pickoff attempt.
With Yennier Cano pitching, Santander made a leaping catch at the wall in right field on Guerrero’s sharp liner to end the home half of the seventh, stranding a runner at second.
Santander led off the eighth with his 34th homer of the year. Austin Slater walked and Adley Rutschman was hit by a pitch, and both runners scored on Eloy Jimenez’s double to give Baltimore a 7-3 lead.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was ejected in the top of the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes.
–Field Level Media
