Jul 6, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Villar (2) scores against the Toronto Blue Jays during the sixth inning at Rogers Centre.Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Renato Nunez hit a two-run homer, Stevie Wilkerson hit a solo blast and right-hander Andrew Cashner pitched seven strong innings as the visiting Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The Orioles have won the first two games of the three-game series that leads into the break for the All-Star Game and have a 5-3 advantage in the season series with the Blue Jays.
Cashner (9-3) allowed one run, three hits, no walks and a wild pitch. He struck out four in winning his third straight start.
Toronto left-hander Clayton Richard (1-5) allowed six runs (three earned), seven hits and one walk while striking out two in six innings.
The Orioles scored five runs in the fourth inning, three unearned as the result of two Blue Jays errors.
Trey Mancini reached base on first baseman Justin Smoak’s error. Nunez hit his 20th homer of the season for the inning’s first two runs. Pedro Severino doubled and held second when Jonathan Villar reached first on third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s error. Anthony Santander hit an RBI single, Keon Broxton hit an RBI double and Santander scored on Richie Martin’s groundout to shortstop.
The Blue Jays scored once in the bottom of the fourth. Guerrero singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Cavan Biggio’s single.
The Orioles restored their five-run margin in the sixth inning when Villar singled, moved second on a groundout to third, took third on a flyout to right and scored on Wilkerson’s single.
Right-hander Nick Kingham replaced Richard and pitched around a walk in the seventh. Kingham allowed a run in the eighth. Villar doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Santander’s single, a shallow fly that dropped in front of center fielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Kingham also allowed Wilkerson’s seventh homer this season in the ninth.
Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis replaced Cashner and struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.
Baltimore’s Shawn Armstrong pitched around a walk in the bottom of the ninth.
Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk has yet to play in the series because of a sore back.