Music: {allcanada} Cruz's grand slam helps O's rally past Blue Jays

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

{allcanada} Cruz's grand slam helps O's rally past Blue Jays

TORONTO — Nelson Cruz hit two home runs — including a grand slam — as the Baltimore Orioles outscored the Toronto Blue Jays 10-8 on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre.

Chris Davis and Matt Wieters also homered for the Orioles, who came back from an early five-run deficit. The teams combined for seven homers in the game, with Canadian Brett Lawrie, Jose Reyes and Ryan Goins going deep for Toronto (11-10).

Cruz hit his seventh career grand slam in the Orioles’ six-run fifth inning. Tommy Hunter loaded the bases in the ninth before holding on for his sixth save.

Hunter got Jonathan Diaz to hit into a game-ending double play as Baltimore (10-10) returned to the .500 mark.

Davis opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo homer to deep centre field off Toronto starter Dustin McGowan. The ball landed in the first row of standing-room only seats above the first deck.

Toronto answered in the next frame by sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring six runs.

With Dioner Navarro and Colby Rasmus on base, Lawrie turned on the first pitch he saw from Baltimore starter Chris Tillman (3-1) for his second three-run shot in as many games. Goins walked and Reyes followed with his first home run of the year.

The meat of the Toronto order also chipped in as Melky Cabrera singled and Jose Bautista walked. Edwin Encarnacion drove in another run with a single that scored Cabrera.

Baltimore scored a pair of runs in the third. Jonathan Schoop hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Nick Markakis, who would be caught stealing. Cruz, who has driven in at least a run in each of his last six games, then launched a rainbow solo homer to the second deck in left field.

McGowan was pulled in the fifth inning after loading the bases on a walk, infield single and hit batsman. Reliever Todd Redmond (0-2) came on and got Markakis to pop up before the Orioles went to work.

Cruz cleared the bases by launching a 2-1 pitch to deep left for his sixth homer of the season. Davis and Adam Jones singled before Matt Wieters drove in a run with a double.

J.J. Hardy came a few feet away from another Baltimore home run. He settled for a sacrifice fly on a ball that pushed Cabrera back to the wall in left field.

Goins cut into Baltimore’s lead in the sixth inning with his first homer of the season. Cabrera hit a two-out single that drove Tillman from the game. Ryan Webb came on in relief and walked Bautista before striking out Encarnacion.

Wieters tacked on another Baltimore run in the seventh inning with a solo shot for his fourth homer of the year.

The Blue Jays answered with a run of their own in the bottom half. With Navarro on second base and Lawrie on first, pinch-hitter Josh Thole came through with an RBI single up the middle.

Reyes nearly cut into the deficit when he sliced a ball that bounced just outside the left-field line before ending up in the seats. Darren O’Day then struck him out to keep Baltimore’s two-run lead intact.

Bautista singled in the eighth but Encarnacion hit into an inning-ending double play.

Tillman pitched 5 2-3 innings, allowing nine hits, seven earned runs and two walks with seven strikeouts. McGowan, meanwhile, gave up five hits, six earned runs, and one walk while striking out five batters.

Announced attendance was 15,202 and the game took three hours 11 minutes to play. Toronto outhit Baltimore 16-12.

Notes: Lawrie, from Langley, B.C., has five home runs on the season. … Drew Hutchison (1-1) is scheduled to start the series finale Thursday night for the Blue Jays. The Orioles will counter with fellow right-hander Bud Norris. … Toronto will wrap up its six-game homestand with a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. … Bautista has reached base safely in all 21 games this season.

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