Gonzalez and Joseph on the pitching, Navarro on his first big league homer

Against a Toronto team averaging 7.4 runs per game against the Orioles this year, Miguel Gonzalez stepped up big time tonight.

He shut out Toronto on 75 pitches through his first seven innings, and gave up just one unearned run and three hits over 7 2/3 innings in the Orioles' 6-1 win.

"Just being aggressive in the zone the whole time and not trying to do too much," Gonzalez said of his pitch efficiency. "My last outing wasn't the greatest, but this time around I worked hard and it paid off.

"Caleb (Joseph) did a really good job back there calling the game and mixing in pitches. From the get-go, we did a really good job and the defense kept us in the game. We played really good D."

For the third time in seven starts this year, Gonzalez went seven or more innings. He did that in six of 26 starts last year. He wants to get to 200 innings for the season.

"It is definitely fun to be out there and extend more and stay out there longer," he said. "Been giving the team a chance to win. Will try to keep working hard to get to my goal."

Gonzalez is now 5-0 with an ERA of 0.98 in his last six starts against the Blue Jays, dating to Sept. 15, 2013. In 47 career appearances against the American League East, he is 20-11 with a 3.26 ERA.

What has made him so solid in division games?

"That's a really good question," Gonzalez said. "Probably having that mentality and staying strong. Everything working well, not trying to think too much and just doing a good job overall. Pitching against the AL East is not easy."

Joseph was behind the plate tonight as Gonzalez needed 10 or fewer pitches in five of his first seven innings.

"He really pitched to both sides of the plate," Joseph said. "He did a great job going up and down, in and out. When we do that, we have a lot of success. Had a really good slider today and threw a lot of quality curveballs early and late in the count. With a lot of right-handers there we tried to work down and away and mix it up.

"Yeah, after the second or third inning we had a good groove, just setting up and the ball was right there. When Miggy gets going, be alert. He could go seven or eight."

As for the offense, most of it came during the O's five-run second inning. Joseph plated the first two runs on a two-run double off an 0-2 pitch from Aaron Sanchez.

"Just saw three curveballs in a row," he said of that at-bat. "Just really trying to put the ball in play. Anywhere but a groundball to third base scores him. Got lucky that it went down the line and we scored two there. We thought runs could be at a premium. Sanchez was effectively wild in the zone. Anytime you get an early lead bodes well for our pitcher."

The game featured an exciting moment for second baseman Rey Navarro when he hit his first major league homer, off Bret Cecil in the last of the eighth.

He hit a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for his first homer in his 23rd major league at-bat.

"Great. Got a pitch to hit. I just feel like it was something out of this world," Navarro said. "That is the dream coming true, just to play in the big leagues and then you hit your first career home run. Feels great."

So did the postgame pie in the face.

"It was a good one and tastes great," Navarro said.