Big inning leads Toronto to win and O's to another series loss

The recent run of solid Orioles pitching that hit a brick wall in the middle innings last night hit the same wall tonight. Hit it real hard. And the elusive series win remains that.

With the game tied 2-2, the Blue Jays scored seven runs on seven hits in the sixth inning on their way to a 12-3 win over the Orioles. It was the biggest inning of the year by Toronto batters and worst allowed by Baltimore pitchers.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. started it with a solo homer off Baltimore starter Gabriel Ynoa. With the O's down 3-2, he was replaced by Paul Fry, who had one very rough outing. Over 1/3 of an inning he allowed three hits and five runs. His ERA jumped from 3.21 to 4.76.

No. 8 hitter Freddy Galvis had a two-run double in that inning for a 5-2 lead. No. 9 hitter Danny Jansen followed with a two-run single and it was 7-2. Up 9-2 to the seventh, Toronto added three more to lead by 10 and set a season high for runs.

The Orioles still have not won back-to-back games since May 4-6 and are now 0-13-1 the last 14 series since winning one April 22-24.

Four times in the last five series, including this one, the Orioles won a series opener, only to lose the next two games. It previously happened against Detroit, San Francisco and Texas.

Through Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Toronto, O's pitchers had allowed 17 runs the previous six games. In losing the last two games of this series, they've allowed 20 runs. O's pitching has allowed 10 runs or more 11 times this season.

As for the Baltimore offense, left fielder Anthony Santander went 3-for-4 with three singles and he drove in two runs. It was his fifth career three-hit game and second in this series. He's batting .385 (10-for-26) in seven games. Chance Sisco's solo homer in the last of the eighth was his second of the season and completed the game's scoring.

The Orioles' homestand continues Friday night at Oriole Park, when the Red Sox come to town for a three-game series beginning at 7:05 p.m.