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Manoah throws six shutout innings as Jays use 19-hit attack in 11-1 rout of Orioles

Jun 13, 2022 | 8:46 PM

Toronto starter Alek Manoah pitched six shutout innings and the Blue Jays used a 19-hit attack to power their way to an 11-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night at Rogers Centre.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., hit his team-leading 15th home run for the Blue Jays (36-24), who broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning. Guerrero, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Teoscar Hernandez had three hits apiece.

Manoah gave up just one hit — a third-inning single to Jorge Mateo — and a walk while striking out seven. He lowered his American League-leading earned-run average from 1.81 to 1.67. 

Each Toronto starter had at least one hit and one run scored. The Blue Jays (36-24) have won 14 of their last 18 games.

Baltimore (26-36) has lost its last seven meetings against Toronto dating back to last season.

George Springer led off with an infield single to extend his on-base streak to 23 games, the longest active streak in the big leagues. He gave Toronto the early lead when he scored on a single by Alejandro Kirk.

The Orioles put two runners on in the first and two more on in the third but couldn’t push a run across against Manoah, who threw 57 of his 86 pitches for strikes.

Springer led off the third with a double and scored on a single by Guerrero to make it 2-0.

Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish was pulled in the fifth inning after giving up a one-out infield single to Guerrero that scored Cavan Biggio. 

The Blue Jays would pile on against reliever Logan Gillaspie. Hernandez hit an RBI double while Santiago Espinal and Raimel Tapia tacked on two-run singles.

Biggio extended the bat-around inning with an RBI triple, the fifth straight hit off Gillaspie. Austin Voth finally ended the outburst by getting Springer on a flyout.

Manoah, meanwhile, retired the last 10 batters he faced. The sophomore improved his career mark to 17-3, becoming the seventh pitcher in the modern era to earn 17 wins in his first 20 decisions.

Blue Jays right-hander Julian Merryweather picked up two outs in the seventh before leaving the game due to left side discomfort. Relievers Adam Cimber and Matt Gage also worked for Toronto.

Guerrero hit a no-doubt solo shot to the second deck — travelling an estimated 432 feet — in the eighth inning off Rico Garcia. 

Bradish (1-4) gave up nine hits, five earned runs and a walk. He had three strikeouts.

Announced attendance was 19,716 and the game took three hours 17 minutes to play.

BOO BIRDS

Blue Jays fans have a long memory when it comes to Orioles cleanup hitter Rougned Odor, who was greeted by a round of boos each time he came to the plate.

Odor levelled former Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista with a right hook to the jaw in a Toronto-Texas game in 2016. Bautista, who hit his famous bat flip homer in the 2015 playoffs against the Rangers, slid hard into second base to set off the melee. 

Odor, who played for Texas until 2020, spent last season with the New York Yankees. He signed with the Orioles as a free agent last November.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

A moment of silence was observed before the game in honour of Loretta Rogers. The matriarch of the Rogers family and longtime director at Rogers Communications died last week at age 83.

Rogers was the widow of company founder Ted Rogers, who died in 2008. Rogers Communications has owned the Blue Jays since 2000.

STOWERS STARTS

Left-fielder Kyle Stowers made his big-league debut for the Orioles after he was selected from Triple-A Norfolk before the game. He doubled in the seventh inning to drive in Adley Rutschman for Baltimore’s lone run.

COMING UP

The four-game series will continue Tuesday night as left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 4.44 ERA) starts against Baltimore right-hander Jordan Lyles (3-5, 4.97).

It’s part of a seven-game homestand for the Blue Jays, who will welcome the East Division-leading New York Yankees over the weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2022. 

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press