O's fall 5-3 in series finale at Toronto

TORONTO - The Orioles were able to win with just two runs last night, but they couldn't get much going for most of the game today, as they lost the series and road trip finale to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto right-hander Matt Shoemaker threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits, as the Blue Jays won 5-3 to salvage the finale of this series. The Orioles head to Baltimore for Thursday's home opener with a 4-2 record.

Shoemaker, who threw seven scoreless frames in his first start against Detroit, did so again today as the O's offense produced five runs in the final two games of the series. Shoemaker gave up only a single and double and got 18 swings and misses on his 92 pitches. He's allowed just four hits through back-to-back scoreless starts to begin his season.

The Orioles rallied in the ninth. Against right-hander Daniel Hudson, Dwight Smith Jr. and Jonathan Villar singled with one out. Then Trey Mancini blasted a three-run shot to center to bring the Orioles within 5-3. Mancini turned around a 96 mph pitch for his third homer. It went 425 feet with an 112 mph exit velocity. But closer Ken Giles came on to get the last two outs and hold off the O's late rally.

The Orioles made just one error and had not allowed an unearned run through their first five games. But that run ended in the Blue Jays first when Toronto took a 1-0 lead.

Against opener Nate Karns, Randal Grichuk doubled to center with one out. With two outs, Teoscar Hernández hit a slow roller toward third and Rio Ruiz charged in. But his throw went over first baseman Chris Davis' head. The scoring was base hit and E-5 as Grichuk scored the game's first run.

Karns, as he did in New York, went two innings today. He allowed three hits and the unearned run. He fanned four with no walks on 32 pitches, 23 strikes.

Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis took over to start the Toronto third. Grichuk was the third batter he faced and hit a 425-foot homer to left-center for a 2-0 lead. He hit No. 2 on a 93 mph high fastball.

An Orioles rally, their first of the game, ended on a line drive double play in the top of the fifth. Ruiz doubled to center with one out and Davis walked on four pitches. But Pedro Severino lined one to third. Third sacker Richard Ureña snared it to his backhand side and threw to second to double up Ruiz and keep the Orioles off the board.

Right-hander Matt Wotherspoon, just added to the roster today, pitched a scoreless seventh inning making his major league debut. But Grichuk hit his second homer of the day in the eighth to extend the lead to 3-0. It was his sixth career multi-homer game. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. later added a two-run double to left to complete the Toronto scoring.

The Orioles will host the New York Yankees tomorrow afternoon when Alex Cobb is set to be activated from the injured list and make his season debut. Lefty James Paxton will start for the Yankees.