Blue Jays Beat Orioles 12-6 In Gausman Major League Debut
TORONTO (AP) -- Edwin Encarnacion hit his fifth career grand slam, J.P. Arencibia homered and drove in four runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Baltimore 12-6 on Thursday night, spoiling the debut of Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Brandon Morrow (2-3) allowed six runs and a season-high 10 hits in seven-plus innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Brett Cecil and Brad Lincoln each worked one inning of scoreless relief as Toronto won for the third time in four games.
Baltimore's Chris Davis hit his major league leading 15th home run, a leadoff shot in the fourth. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones hit back-to-back homers off Morrow in the eighth but it wasn't enough for the Orioles, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Baltimore's Manny Machado went 3 for 4 with three doubles, boosting his major league-leading total to 21.
Machado gave the Orioles an early lead with a two-run double in the third. Davis made it 3-0 by homering on Morrow's first pitch of the fourth, but the Blue Jays rallied with two runs off Gausman in the bottom half. Adam Lind and Arencibia led off with consecutive doubles and Emilio Bonifacio hit a sacrifice fly.
Arencibia put the Blue Jays in front with a two-out, first pitch drive in the fifth, his 11th.
The fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Gausman allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Gausman (0-1) is the 11th different pitcher to start for Baltimore this year. The Orioles used 12 different starters all of last season.
Troy Patton was replaced after issuing back-to-back two-out walks in the sixth. Pedro Strop came on and walked Jose Bautista before Encarnacion homered off the left field foul screen, Toronto's first grand slam this season.
After Alexi Casilla hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh, Markakis hit his fifth home run in the eighth and Jones followed with his seventh. It's the third time this season the Orioles have hit consecutive homers.
Toronto put it away with four runs off T.J. McFarland in a bat-around eighth. Anthony Gose scored from second on a passed ball after catcher Matt Wieters threw to second, Arencibia hit an RBI grounder, Brett Lawrie singled home a run and Colby Rasmus hit a sacrifice fly.
Left fielder Nate McLouth tumbled into the stands after running into the wall in foul territory while retiring Rasmus for the first out of the sixth. Fans tried to indicate that McLouth had dropped the ball, but third base umpire Manny Gonzalez ruled it an out. After the play, a fan in the second deck threw a drink at McLouth, bringing Orioles manager Buck Showalter out for a discussion with the umpires.
NOTES: Jones, who has been bothered by a sore groin, made his third straight start at DH. Jones played 162 games last year and has yet to miss a game this season. ...Toronto will promote LHP Sean Nolin from Double-A to make his major league debut Friday against the Orioles. RHP Chad Jenkins will start Sunday. ... To clear a roster spot for Gausman, the Orioles optioned right-hander Jake Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk and designated right-hander Alex Burnett for assignment. ... A moment of silence was held before the game in memory of scout Epy Guerrero, who died Thursday at 71. ... Former Blue Jays infielder Homer Bush threw out the first pitch. ... Showalter celebrated his 57th birthday.
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