Bud Norris exits early as Toronto routs Orioles in series opener

Well, this was no way to start a series against an American League East rival.

Bud Norris struggled again and the Orioles defense was shaky again. Late in the game, some tempers flared between these teams yet again.

Toronto scored six runs in the second inning and knocked out Norris in the third in a 13-6 blowout of the Orioles at Rogers Centre.

In the big inning for Toronto, right fielder Travis Snider committed an error and missed the cutoff man on a throw. Caleb Joseph made a throwing error. Norris also walked two and they both scored.

In the shortest outing by an Orioles starter this year, Norris went 2 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and nine runs (all earned) with three walks, two strikeouts and a home run. Norris is 0-2 with an ERA of 17.42.

The nine runs allowed matched his career high, done twice in the 2012 season.

Norris went 4-0 with an ERA of 1.78 against the Blue Jays last year, but is 0-2 with an ERA of 28.70 this year, allowing 17 runs in 5 1/3 innings.

O's starters lead the majors with 10 starts of less than six innings. The last two days, the starters have given up 14 runs over 6 2/3 frames. The rotation ERA is 5.16 through 14 games and was 4.35 at this point last year.

The game produced more hard feelings and bad blood between these teams, particularly involving Toronto's Jose Bautista.

O's Rule 5 pitcher Jason Garcia threw a pitch that went behind Bautista in the seventh inning with Toronto ahead 11-4. Bautista then hit a two-run homer off Garcia, flipped his bat and took a long time to run around the bases, drawing the ire of the Orioles.

The MASN cameras caught several players having words back and forth, including center fielder Adam Jones, who appeared to be the most upset of the Orioles. He and Bautista jawed at each other after the inning ended. Jones was replaced by David Lough before the start of the last of the eighth inning.

The Blue Jays are now 3-1 against the Orioles this season and have scored 36 runs in the four games.

Toronto had five doubles, three homers and 16 hits, going 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Their night included a rare homer into the fifth deck at Rogers Centre by Edwin Encarnacion, who crushed it off Brian Matusz in the sixth. It was his second homer of the night.

Manny Machado drove in two runs for the Orioles, while Jones, Delmon Young, Everth Cabrera and Snider had two hits each.

Now 2-3 on this road trip and 7-7 for the season, the Orioles and Blue Jays play Game 2 of this series on Wednesday night when Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) faces right-hander Aaron Sanchez (0-2, 6.23 ERA).