Blue Jays outlast Orioles 8-6 to even series

So much for the recent run of success for Orioles pitchers. After allowing 17 runs over the past six games, they allowed eight over a two-inning span tonight as they lost to Toronto.

Blue Jays designated hitter Rowdy Tellez hit a grand slam to highlight a six-run fifth as Toronto beat the Orioles 8-6 to snap a five-game losing streak and move to 24-43. The Orioles fall to 21-46.

Right-hander David Hess struggled again and falls to 1-9 with an ERA of 7.20. He began this game tied for the American League lead in losses. Hess gave up four runs and five hits in four-plus innings on 96 pitches.

He needed 32 pitches to get the first six outs and threw 32 more in the third inning, when stranded the bases loaded. But it would get away from Hess and the Orioles in the Toronto fifth. Hess allowed three singles and a walk before retiring a batter, which tied the game at 1-1 and Miguel Castro replaced him.

A few batters later, Castro gave up the Tellez grand slam to make it a 6-1 game. He has two career slams, both this year. This one wasn't exactly crushed, going 359 feet onto the flag court in right. But it got the job done and broke this game open. Castro allowed all three inherited runners to score and two others in one inning. Evan Phillips allowed two more runs an inning later for an 8-2 lead.

Trey Mancini made his latest pitch for your All-Star vote, blasting a solo homer to center in the fourth for a short-lived 1-0 O's lead. He smoked No. 14 a distance of 423 feet. When they batted an inning later, the Orioles were down 6-1 and got one run back. Rio Ruiz led the inning with a walk and later scored on a wild pitch.

Toronto used opener Derek Law to pitch a scoreless first, although Mancini tripled against him. Then struggling right-hander Edwin Jackson came on, allowing two runs over five innings to lower his ERA from 11.90 to 10.22. Over his previous three games, Jackson had allowed 23 runs (19 earned) in 9 2/3 innings.

The Orioles made this game close with a four-run eighth inning that featured Chance Sisco's two-run double, a Renato Núñez RBI groundout and a Ruiz run-scoring single.

The Orioles last had two straight wins May 4-6. Tonight they had an eighth crack at two in a row since then, but they are 0-8 in such games.

There was some good news on the farm tonight. Yusniel Diaz hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the last of the 10th as Bowie beat New Hampshire 4-2 at Prince George's Stadium.