LDN - Sports

Encarnacion homers in 10th to lift Blue Jays past Orioles

[June 11, 2016] TORONTO -- Edwin Encarnacion ended an 0-for-19 drought in the most emphatic way Friday night.

He lined a 3-2 pitch from Brad Brach to right field for his 13th homer of the season to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning and give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Encarnacion looked stunned when told that he had been hitless for that long. "I didn't know it at all," he said. "Thanks for telling me. I don't follow those things but I feel good now."

He also became the eighth player in Blue Jays' history to reach 600 RBIs with the blast.

Blue Jays right-hander Drew Storen (1-2), who pitched a perfect top of the 10th to earn the win, was impressed that Encarnacion was able to hit the ball so hard to the opposite field.

"To see him drive it down the line oppo is fun to watch," Storen said.

"They had been pitching me outside all day and I tried to make an adjustment and it worked," Encarnacion said.

"Yeah, I mean going down and away, and maybe up just a tad, but slightly off the plate and he put a good swing on it," Brach said. "Every time we come here it's always close games, especially against this team. This seems to be the way every game is against them. Every pitch counts and you've just got to get the outs when you can and get the runs when you can. Tonight was just one of those nights, we didn't get it when we needed it."

Brach (5-1) had a perfect bottom of the ninth force the extra inning.

The Blue Jays (33-30) ended a five-game win streak by the Orioles (36-24). Each team has one win after two games of a four-game series.

Michael Saunders homered for the Blue Jays.

Chris Davis and Jonathan Schoop hit home runs for the Orioles.

Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada allowed four hits, four walks and three runs before right-hander Jesse Chavez replaced him in the seventh and pitched two hitless innings. Estrada struck out eight.

Baltimore right-hander Kevin Gausman allowed eight hits, two walks and three runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four.

"I think they had guys on base just about every inning and in scoring position just about every inning," Gausman said. "That's one of those starts today usually they get a double here and there and that's kind of a tough stat line. Against that lineup you've just got to make quality pitches and, when you have guys on base every inning, you kind of put yourself in a hole."

The Orioles fell behind 2-0 before they got a solo homer from Schoop in the fifth and a two-run shot from Davis in the sixth.

Davis, who also homered Thursday, hit his 14th home run off the season on a first-pitch cutter from Estrada after Manny Machado led off the sixth with a walk.

The Blue Jays tied it in the bottom of the sixth when Justin Smoak doubled with one out and scored on a single by Russell Martin.

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Blue Jays left fielder Ezequiel Carrera (3) celebrates with designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) after scoring a run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Right-hander Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays opened the scoring with an unearned run in the first inning.

Ezequiel Carrera led off with a bunt single and moved to third on Gausman's throwing error on a pickoff attempt at first base. Josh Donaldson hit an RBI single to right.

The Orioles did not have a runner on base until Hyun Soo Kim walked with one out in the fourth inning. Davis took the second walk of the inning with two out before Mark Trumbo struck out.

Saunders led off the bottom of the fourth with his 10th homer of the season, giving Toronto a 2-0 lead.

Schoop ended the no-hit bid with one out in the fifth when he belted an 0-2 cutter to left center for his ninth homer of the season.

"I thought that was a big game for us tonight because of the way the one (Thursday) night got away," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It was a big one tonight simply because of the way it happened. We had the lead and it gets away and those can be demoralizing, you know, and we came through at the end."

NOTES: Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista (sore right thigh) did not start Friday and is listed as day to day. He left the game Thursday for a pinch runner in the sixth inning. OF Ezequiel Carrera started in right field Friday and batted leadoff. ... Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman did not factor in the decision Thursday in the Orioles' 6-5 win after allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings. Stroman has not pitched six innings in three straight starts and in four of his past five. ... Orioles LHP Zach Britton set a club record Thursday when he earned his 19th save in 19 chances to open the season. RHP Chris Ray was 18-for-18 to open the 2006 season for Baltimore. ... Orioles RHP Mike Wright (3-3, 5.14 ERA) will face Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (6-3, 3.57) in the third game of the four-game series on Saturday.

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