Baltimore Orioles topple Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 in series opener – MLB Update
Baltimore Orioles secured a comfortable 4-1 win against Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on Monday, September 24 in the opening game of their four match series.
Orioles, once again, used their home conditions superbly to outclass their opponents in finer details of the game. Manager Buck Showalter will be extremely pleased to see his team fighting hard at this vital stage of the season.
The pitching rotation played a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash. Starting pitcher Steve Johnson led from the front as he gave up just three hits in five shut-out innings to grab his fourth win of the season. Striking-out six Blue Jays’ batters,
Orioles’ rookie looked extremely confident on the mound.
Relief pitchers Troy Patton, Tommy Hunter, Darren O’Day and Jim Johnson combined to concede just one run in four sharp innings to help Baltimore claim a much needed victory.
"When you do that, you have to make a pitch in there, just bear down, throw a few pitches, make sure they don't make good contact on it," he said with a smile on his face.
"We can't run from what's taking place, and yet we have to continue to battle," Blue Jays’ manager John Farrell said in a post game interview.
After both teams failed to score any runs in first three innings of the contest, Adam Jones homered to left in the fourth to put Orioles on the board. Ryan Flaherty stretched Orioles’ lead to 3-0 with a solo home-run to centre in the fifth.
Mark Reynolds also had a decent time on the plate as he earned an RBI groundout in the sixth to give Baltimore complete control of the situation.
"Adam relishes competition," Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter said. "He's obviously had a heck of a year. He's turning into quite a player."
Right now, Orioles are just one game behind the New York Yankees on the American League East Division standings table. If Showalter and company can win their remaining games, they will have an excellent chance of breaking their losing streak.
The Orioles will be happy with their performance as they managed to dominate the Blue Jays and take a decent victory.
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