Andrew Cashner goes six strong as O's top Blue Jays (quotes added)

TORONTO - He didn't take a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but right-hander Andrew Cashner followed up nicely on David Hess' strong outing last night.

Cashner pitched the Orioles to a 2-1 win at Rogers Centre and they are 4-1 with a four-game win streak, matching their longest of last season. After going 0-10 in Toronto last season, they can sweep this three-game series tomorrow afternoon.

Cashner went six innings, allowing four singles, two of them infield hits. He allowed his first hit with one out in the Blue Jays fourth. Cashner, who gave up six runs in four innings on opening day, walked three and fanned three. He threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes, and averaged 94 mph on his fastball, topping at 96 mph. He threw 41 fastballs and 38 secondary pitches in his third scoreless start as an Oriole.

O's starters in this series have thrown 12 1/3 scoreless innings on four hits. The starters had pitched to an ERA of 8.38 in the series at New York.

Cashner's last out tonight was his biggest. He allowed two infield hits and a walk that loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth. But he induced designated hitter Rowdy Tellez to fly to left on a first-pitch changeup and Toronto left them loaded.

Paul Fry pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth on 25 pitches in a solid outing. Miguel Castro pitched the ninth and recorded his fifth career save. It was his first since April 23, 2015 while with Toronto. The shutout bid ended when Tellez bombed a 449-foot homer to center off him with one out.

The Orioles broke the scoreless tie scoring twice in the top of the sixth off right-hander Marcus Stroman. He had thrown 12 scoreless innings to start his year before the O's got to him.

Left fielder Dwight Smith Jr. led off and singled to left. Then Jonathan Villar drilled a 3-2 cutter down the first base line. It went into the corner for an RBI triple and 1-0 lead. Batting next, Trey Mancini singled to left for a 2-0 advantage. That hit made Mancini 9-for-19 on the year with two homers and five RBIs.

Earlier, the Orioles got some hits but no runs off Stroman. Joey Rickard doubled with two outs in the second, and the O's had two on and no outs an inning later, but Stroman got out of that. Villar doubled to lead off the fourth, but was picked off second.

Stroman took the loss. Over 5 2/3 innings, he gave up nine hits and two runs with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 101 pitches.

The 2019 Orioles have matched the 2018 team by winning four in a row. That was the longest win streak of last season it happened one time, from May 9-12.

In the series finale on Wednesday afternoon, O's right-hander Nate Karns (0-0, 0.00 ERA) starts versus righty Matt Shoemaker (1-0, 0.00 ERA).

Postgame quotes:

Manager Brandon Hyde on Cashner and the defense behind him: "I just thought he came out from the very first inning and was pounding the strike zone. The velo was up - on the board there, it was a bunch of 95s. We hadn't seen that. Really good sliders and changeups, but attacked the hitters, worked ahead in the count and made pitches. I just thought he was great.

"We take a lot of pride in our defense. That's something we talked about since the first day. Our goal is to catch the ball behind the pitcher and not give up extra outs, limit damage and just be fundamentally sound defensively. As you see, when you do that, you're in games and you give yourself a chance to win. That's what we've done so far."

Hyde on the four-game win streak: "Great. I want a good feel for our guys and they're playing well. I want them to know that and I want them to know this is how they can play. So the energy level, the feel, the camaraderie, all that stuff's fantastic. And they're also playing for each other, too. You can see it in their at-bats, you can see it defensively and that's where it really stands out. This is a long journey, but this first handful of games, this was my - when I was looking ahead to the season, this is how I was hoping we would play."

Cashner on getting the key out of Tellez to end the sixth: "He's an aggressive hitter. Thought if I went slider backdoor or threw a changeup right there, (I might) get him out in front a little bit. It wasn't my best changeup, but I still thought it was a good one."

Cashner on his outing overall: "I thought I got in some counts where I could put guys away, but I didn't make the pitch. Big plays on defense. I still can get better. Need to work on command a little bit but my velocity was a lot better today."

Cashner on the Orioles as surprise team so far: "It's been fun. There are a lot of new people in here. There is definitely a different culture in here. I think there is no pressure as far as all these young guys. Nobody's counting us to win. Let's just go out there and play. I think a big thing is just pick up your teammates. Defense, offense, you know we're just having fun."

Villar on the team playing well: "We feel happy. We've got a young team here and no one thinks we can win. We come to the field not scared to play. We play good defense and worked on that in the spring and we've run the bases well. Sucre is calling good games. I feel good so far."