Bundy pitches a gem as O's beat Toronto 3-1

So much for Dylan Bundy's 7.41 ERA in spring training. The 24-year-old right hander threw a gem at the Toronto Blue Jays tonight as the Orioles won 3-1 to sweep the season-opening two-game series.

Zach Britton recorded his 50th straight save since Oct. 1, 2015, pitching out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth. On his 24th pitch of the inning, he got Steve Pearce to ground into a game-ending double play. For the Blue Jays in the ninth, there was a lot of drama but no runs.

Bundy matched career highs with 99 pitches and by going seven innings. He went seven last Aug. 2 against Texas, but recorded 21 outs just once in 14 starts in 2016. He gave up just four hits against the Jays, and three in a row came in the third inning. He did not walk a batter and fanned eight, one short of his career high. Toronto went 3-for-6 against Bundy in the third and 1-for-19 in the other six innings.

He showed the Blue Jays his assortment of pitches, commanding them all most of the night, including the cutter/slider. It was one impressive performance. Last season, Bundy went 3-4 with a 6.13 ERA against the American League East, but the division might have a tougher time against the 2017 version of Bundy.

Bundy struck out the side on 13 pitches in the first inning and recorded a 1-2-3 second. But Toronto had three consecutive one-out singles in the third to take a 1-0 lead with Devon Travis producing the RBI hit to right. Bundy then fanned Josh Donaldson and got José Bautista to line out to end that threat.

Moments later, the Orioles used the longball to get him the lead.

Jonathan Schoop's first hit of the year was a leadoff single to left in the O's third. Two batters later, Adam Jones hit a two-run homer for a 2-1 lead. Jones hit an 0-1 fastball and it just made the left field stands, traveling only 348 feet, according to Statcast. Jones homered off lefty J.A. Happ; he produced just three of his 29 homers last year off lefties.

For Jones, that was homer No. 223 as an Oriole and moved him into a tie with Rafael Palmeiro for fifth on the club's all-time list.

An inning later, Chris Davis produced his own milestone homer. His solo shot to left-center was his 200th as an Oriole and gave the club a 3-1 lead. Davis drilled the first pitch from Happ 408 feet. According to ESPN Stats and Info on Twitter, last season Davis had 13 homers to the opposite field, second in the major leagues behind Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (15).

Happ won 20 games last year, but he also gave up 22 homers, allowing two or more in a game six times. Manny Machado got robbed by center fielder Kevin Pillar on a deep drive in the third and that ball looked like it might have cleared the wall if it had not wound up in the glove on a great play.

The Orioles bullpen closed this one out. Brad Brach fanned two in a scoreless eighth and Britton got out of the jam in the ninth.

So the Orioles have a 2-0 start. They'll have to wait until Friday night to go for 3-0. The Yankees come to town then for a three-game weekend series.