masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles offense awoke from its recent slumber tonight. It was enough to get the team a win, it’s first after two losses in the series against Toronto. And after a stretch of four losses the past five games.
Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini homered during Baltimore’s four-run last of the fifth, and two later runs broke a 4-4 tie as the Orioles beat the Blue Jays 6-4 in front of 12,951 at Oriole Park.
Toronto lefty Thomas Pannone pitched five innings without allowing a hit to the Orioles…

The Orioles offense awoke from its recent slumber tonight. It was enough to get the team a win, it’s first after two losses in the series against Toronto. And after a stretch of four losses the past five games.

Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini homered during Baltimore’s four-run last of the fifth, and two later runs broke a 4-4 tie as the Orioles beat the Blue Jays 6-4 in front of 12,951 at Oriole Park.

Mancini-swings-orange-sidebar.jpgToronto lefty Thomas Pannone pitched five innings without allowing a hit to the Orioles tonight. But they did get four hits off him in the fifth of his six frames.

Pannone had fanned a career-high eight on 59 pitches with no hits allowed as the game moved to the Baltimore fifth with Toronto ahead 2-0. The Jays got an RBI double in the first from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and solo homer in the third from Freddy Galvis.

Villar led off with a homer to left for the first hit and run of the night for Baltimore. He hit No. 14 on an 0-1 Pannone changeup. It went 387 feet and made the score 2-1 Jays. Stevie Wilkerson followed with a one-out single and moved to third on Hanser Alberto’s two-out single to center. On that play Wilkerson gambled and won. A throw from center fielder Teoscar Hernández to Guerrero at third was in time to nab Wilkerson to end the inning, but Guerrero could not handle the throw, Wilkerson was safe and Mancini got a swing.

He sure did. He blasted a first-pitch fastball at 87.4 mph out to center for a three-run shot and a 4-2 lead. Mancini’s 26th homer traveled 405 feet. It was his ninth homer over his past 16 games.

But the 4-2 lead didn’t hold. Toronto’s No. 9 batter, catcher Reese McGuire, hit a two-run homer off Richard Bleier for a 4-4 tie in the seventh. Later in the inning it appeared Toronto had taken a 5-4 lead on a double by Galvis. But a replay review overturned a safe call at home, and the O’s recorded a 7-6-2 out to keep it a 4-4 game.

That tie quickly was snapped when the O’s scored twice in the last of the seventh. Against reliever Buddy Boshers, Chris Davis walked and went to third on Wilkerson’s double to the left-center gap. That brought on righty Justin Shafer. He got pinch-hitter Jace Peterson, but Alberto’s flare single to right made it 5-4, and Mancini’s RBI grounder made it 6-4 and gave him a four-RBI night.

The Orioles had scored just four runs on 15 hits, going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position in the series’ first two games. Tonight they got just six hits, but they made it work to improve to 37-73. They are 9-7 the last 16 games and 15-15 over the past 30.

The Blue Jays (45-68) had a five-game win streak snapped while searching for six in a row for the first time since they won seven straight July 2-8, 2016. These two teams have split 12 games this year.

O’s starter Dylan Bundy got a no-decision, allowing two runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings and 97 pitches. Bundy now has a career ERA of 3.24 in 13 games against Toronto. The Orioles have gone seven straight games without a quality start. Mychal Givens got the win in relief and Paul Fry pitched the ninth to record a save.

The O’s can split this four-game series if they can get a win on Sunday afternoon at Oriole Park. Righty Tom Eshelman (0-2, 6.35 ERA) faces right-hander Sean Reid-Foley (1-1, 2.55 ERA).