O's game blog: Looking for a win in series finale

The Orioles have had challenges this year and tough losses to try and bounce back from. Today may present their toughest challenge yet. They blew seventh-inning leads in both games of Saturday's doubleheader with Toronto losing the opener 11-10 after they led 10-7 heading to the seventh inning. In the nightcap, they had not allowed a hit through six innings and led 1-0 but they lost that game 11-2.

The Orioles (46-96) have lost three of four. They have won three six games, five of nine and six of 12. They are 8-10 over the last 18 games. They are 19-46 versus American League East opponents, including a 5-10 record against Toronto, and they are 3-5 at home against the Blue Jays.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Toronto is the first team in major league history to hit a go-ahead home run while trailing in the final scheduled inning of both games of a doubleheader.

The Blue Jays scored 22 runs on 24 hits with eight homers in 14 innings of baseball on Saturday at Oriole Park. The O's bullpen allowed 14 hits and 14 runs on four homers over four innings in the two games.

In the nightcap, Orioles pitching combined to allow 11 hits in the seventh inning, their most hits allowed in a single inning since also allowing 11 on Sept. 20, 1983 in the opening inning at Detroit. Their 11 runs allowed in the seventh are their most in a single inning since allowing 12 in the first inning on July 30, 2011 at the New York Yankees. Their four home runs allowed in that inning are the most since May 8, 2018 at Kansas City in the first inning.

Entering that final frame in the nightcap, the Blue Jays had been held without a hit, and had managed just two baserunners through the first six innings before scoring 11 runs. The 11 runs tied the franchise record for the fourth time in team history, also doing so on July 20, 1984 at Seattle (ninth); April 26, 1995 versus Oakland (second); and July 25, 2007 versus Minnesota (sixth). The four home runs in the seventh also tied the team record, done last on Aug. 17, 2001 versus Texas in the sixth inning.

Toronto had three players - Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernández - record multiple hits in the same inning for the first time in team history.

The Blue Jays (79-63) begin play today tied with the New York Yankees for the second AL wild card spot, with both one game behind Boston. Both Toronto and New York are two games ahead of the duo of Oakland and Seattle.

Toronto has won 10 of 11 games, 13 of 15 and is 16-6 over its last 22. The Blue Jays are a season-high 16 games over .500, reaching the mark for the first time since the end of the 2016 campaign (89-73).

Guerrero hit a solo shot in Game 1, his 43rd of the year. He joined Joe DiMaggio (46 in 1937) and Juan González (43 in 1992) as the only players in AL history to reach 43 homers at 22 or younger. He is now tied with José Bautista (2011) for the fifth-most home runs in a season by a Blue Jay all time.

Major League Baseball homer leaders

44 - Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
43 - Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto
42 - Salvador Pérez, Kansas City
39 - Marcus Semien, Toronto