O's offense falls flat as Jays take the series finale

For the second time in this series the Orioles got a decent starting pitching performance - this one after a bad start to the game - but their offense could not get much going.

Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez held the Orioles to one unearned run on five hits over six innings as the Blue Jays beat the O's 5-3 at Camden Yards. The Orioles lost two of three in this series to fall four games out of first place.

Now 72-61 with 10 losses in their past 16 games, the Orioles are now tied for the second American League wild card with the Tigers and both teams lead the Astros by just one game. The Orioles scored just four runs on 12 hits in the two losses in this important series. Tonight they were held to one until Jonathan Schoop's two-out, two-run homer in the ninth.

The Orioles fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first tonight. Jose Bautista homered on the game's first pitch from right-hander Yovani Gallardo. His 377-foot homer on a fastball was his 17th homer of the year, his eighth career leadoff homer and fourth leadoff homer of 2016.

After Gallardo got two groundouts, he walked Michael Saunders. Then Russell Martin lifted a fly ball to right on 3-2 slider and it carried over the fence for a two-run homer and a 3-0 Jays lead. It was No. 16 for Martin. He has eight homers and 21 RBIs his past 15 games.

The Orioles were held scoreless on two hits against Sanchez until the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Hyun Soo Kim singled and went to third on Schoop's single. Then Manny Machado grounded to third but Josh Donaldson booted it for an error, Kim scored and it was 3-1. Sanchez walked Chris Davis to load the bases for Mark Trumbo. With the crowd now into the game and the Orioles holding a big shot to do damage, Trumbo flied out to right on a 1-0 pitch. They added an unearned run there, but left the bases loaded.

After his poor first inning, Gallardo steadied himself quite well and threw five more scoreless innings thru the sixth. He went six innings on the night, allowing five hits and three runs on 102 pitches, 55 for strikes.

O's starters in this series - Wade Miley, Ubaldo Jimenez and Gallardo - went a combined 19 2/3 innings allowing 10 hits and nine runs. They put together three quality starts with an ERA of 4.12 in the series.

Toronto added a run in the seventh off Mychal Givens. Dioner Navarro's looper to right fell in front of Trumbo and he scored on a Devon Travis double down the left-field line. That made it 4-1. Saunders homered off Brad Brach in the eighth to score their final run.

Toronto (76-57) has won five of six games and is 21-13 its last 34. The Blue Jays lead the AL East by two games over Boston. They ended a four-series winless streak at Camden Yards, during which they lost three and tied one.

Now the Orioles take Thursday off before hosting the New York Yankees for three games over the weekend at Oriole Park.