BALTIMORE - In a duel between prolific offensive teams, the Toronto Blue Jays were unable to overcome a disappointing outing for Marcus Stroman.
The Baltimore Orioles amassed a season-high 19 hits against Stroman and five relievers, and the Blue Jays wasted homers by Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis in an 11-6 loss Sunday.
“Our guys did a really good job swinging the bats, and it was plenty good to get a win,” Stroman said. “So it's frustrating not to be able to do my job.”
Stroman (6-3) gave up seven runs and 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season. The right-hander is 2-3 with a 7.59 ERA over his last seven starts.
On a hot day at Camden Yards, Stroman couldn't find an easy out in a lineup filled with sluggers.
“They can beat you 1 through 9, and you have to really be on your game when you're facing them,” Stroman said. “If you're not, they're going to expose you and take advantage of you, like they did today.”
Matt Wieters had four hits, including a homer, and drove in four runs to help the Orioles win the deciding matchup of the three-game series between AL East foes.
Jonathan Schoop homered and drove in three runs for Baltimore, and Chris Davis had three hits and scored three runs.
“They get the ball in the air - everybody in that lineup,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. “They got the left-right balance, which is very tough. They play in a great hitting park. You really have to go toe-to-toe with that.”
The Orioles were without two-time All-Star Manny Machado, who began a four-game suspension for charging the mound on June 7. The punishment ended Machado's run of 229 consecutive starts, the longest active streak in the majors.
His replacement at third base, Ryan Flaherty, had two hits and two RBIs from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.
Chris Tillman (10-1) allowed four runs and five hits in five laborious innings. Unbeaten since April 14, Tillman needed 99 pitches to extend his career-high win streak to nine.
“Made some pitches when I needed to and the boys picked me up, picked me up big time today,” Tillman said. “Tough day on the bullpen, but we came out of everything with a big series win.”
The Blue Jays have dropped two in a row after winning seven of eight.
With the score knotted at 4 in the fourth, Wieters doubled and scored on a single by Schoop. Flaherty doubled in a run, and Adam Jones chased Stroman with an RBI single.
Wieters made it 8-4 with an RBI single in the fifth, and Schoop connected in a three-run seventh that made it 11-6.
“When you get these two offences together, you know you're going to need to score with each other,” Wieters said.
Baltimore jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Davis hit an RBI single and Wieters followed with his seventh home run.
Toronto used two-run homers by Tulowitzki and Travis to go up 4-3 in the second. Activated from the disabled list Saturday, Tulowitzki hadn't gone deep since May 14.
Flaherty tied it in the bottom half with an RBI single.
PAINFUL DELAY
There was a lengthy delay in the second inning after home plate umpire Dale Scott was struck in the groin with a foul ball. Scott left the game, and Bob Davidson worked behind the plate as part of a three-man crew.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: Reliever Darren O'Day (right hamstring strain) simulated his delivery on flat ground Sunday. “He felt good. That's a good sign,” manager Buck Showalter said.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: After taking Monday off, Toronto sends Marco Estrada to the mound Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game interleague series against visiting Arizona.
Orioles: An April rainout in Texas will force the Orioles to make a one-game road trip to face the Rangers on Monday night. “It kind of feels like going to play the wild-card game,” Showalter said.
