The Blue Jays came out swinging Saturday afternoon.
After putting together a quiet offensive performance Friday night, the Jays’ bats fared much better this afternoon, collecting 12 hits and scoring six en route to a victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Instant Reaction: Blue Jays beat Orioles behind big days from Clement and Valenzuela
It was Braydon Fisher on the mound for the Blue Jays, working as an opener for the fourth time this season. He threw a scoreless inning, working into and out of an early jam with a pair of strikeouts. Come the second inning, the ball was handed over to Spencer Miles, who was coming off his worst outing of the year last weekend in Baltimore, where he gave up six runs in three innings.
Miles’ kryptonite continues to be Colton Cowser, who hit yet another home run off the right-hander, the second batter Miles saw in the outing. His solo shot gave the Orioles an early 1-0 lead, but the Jays right-hander would settle in after that blemish, throwing 4.1 innings of two-run ball on five strikeouts.
It was Kyle Bradish on the mound for the Orioles, who was coming off one of his best outings of the year against the Jays last weekend, throwing seven innings of shutout ball. The right-hander threw a scoreless first inning before Kazuma Okamoto brought home Ernie Clement via a single, tying the game up at 1-1.
Then in the third inning, the Jays would blow it open with a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walk and a Jesus Sanchez single, setting up Ernie Clement with two runners on. He would crush a slider from Bradish over the left field wall for a three-run home run, giving the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead. Andres Gimenez would later cash in Brandon Valenzuela via a single to extend the lead to 5-1.
The Jays went quiet in the fourth, before adding their sixth and final run in the fifth inning, when Valenzuela scored Clement on a sacrifice fly, giving the Jays a 6-1 lead at the time. A pair of unbelievable offensive performances from Valenzuela and Clement provided the thump the Jays desperately needed in this game.
The rookie catcher went three for three with a pair of doubles, improving his season slash line to a .254/.338/.456/.794 mark, continuing to make the case to stay on the roster long term. Clement went two for four with a triple, home run, and three runs scored, improving his average to .306 on the season.
In the top of the sixth inning, Gunnar Henderson hit a single off Miles, knocking him out of the game for Jeff Hoffman, who would subsequently allow a two-run home run to Pete Alonso, cutting the Jays’ lead in half at 6-3. The struggles continued for Hoffman, whose season ERA now sits at an ugly 6.26.
The Orioles would score their fourth and final run in the top of the seventh inning against Mason Fluharty on a solo home run from Blaze Alexander. Tyler Rogers worked a scoreless eighth inning before Louis Varland collected his ninth save of the season to close out a much-needed victory for the Blue Jays.
It will be Kevin Gausman on the mound Sunday afternoon as the Jays go for a series win over their AL East rival, looking to surpass the Orioles in the standings and move into a Wild Card spot, currently sitting one game back. Shane Baz takes the mound for the Orioles in a 1:37 pm EST start, with the Jays looking to keep the bats hot for a second straight game.
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