masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIn their first home game with fans in attendance since April 26, the Orioles gave a Camden Yards crowd of 20,468 something to cheer about tonight.
After losing five of the last six games on a road trip, they had a happy homecoming in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to start a three-game series and nine-game homestand.
Ubaldo Jimenez pitched well again against Toronto. Over seven innings, he allowed six hits and two runs with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. He improves to 3-2…

In their first home game with fans in attendance since April 26, the Orioles gave a Camden Yards crowd of 20,468 something to cheer about tonight.

After losing five of the last six games on a road trip, they had a happy homecoming in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to start a three-game series and nine-game homestand.

Ubaldo Jimenez pitched well again against Toronto. Over seven innings, he allowed six hits and two runs with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. He improves to 3-2 with an ERA of 2.41.

jimenez-pitching-white-sidebar (1).pngIn three 2015 starts against Toronto, he is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.84 and has both wins the O’s have against the Jays on the season.

The effort was much needed against a Toronto team that began tonight leading the majors with 172 runs scored. Plus the Blue Jays had scored 47 runs this year against Orioles pitching in taking five of the first six games in the season series.

When the game started tonight, the Orioles looked very happy to be home. In the top of the first, Jimenez struck out the side on 17 pitches. In the bottom of the inning, the Orioles took a 3-0 lead.

Manny Machado led off the inning with a homer to right on a 3-2 fastball from Marco Estrada. It was his sixth of the year and fifth homer in his last 15 games. It was the O’s second leadoff homer of 2015 after Alejandro De Aza hit one April 11 versus Toronto.

After Delmon Young walked with two outs, Chris Davis hit a long two-run homer to right for a 3-0 advantage. Davis jumped on the first pitch – an 89 mph Estrada fastball – for his eighth homer of the year and sixth over his last 14 games. Davis is tied for fifth in the AL in homers.

The Orioles had scored 26 runs in their last two home game, were averaging 7.1 runs per game this year at the Yard and struck quick for the early lead tonight.

Toronto cut that lead to 3-1 in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Kevin Pillar and Ezequiel Carrera. The O’s got that run back in the sixth. Davis and Steve Pearce led off with singles and Davis later scored on Caleb Joseph’s sac fly. Joseph was down 0-2 in the count, worked it back to 3-2 and then drove in his 10th run.

The teams exchanged runs in the seventh as Carrera had another RBI double and Adam Jones ended a 17-game homerless drought with a solo blast to left. No. 6 for Jones made it a 5-2 game.

Now 7-4 at home and 3-8 in the first game of a series, the O’s (14-16) host Toronto Tuesday night. Chris Tillman (2-4, 6.25 ERA) faces Mark Buehrle (4-2, 6.00 ERA) at 7:05 p.m.