Toronto Blue Jays defeat Baltimore Orioles 3-0 – MLB Update
Toronto Blue Jays emerged strong in the battle of the bottom two teams in the American League East Division as they beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario on Wednesday, July 27.
Blue Jays shut-out the Orioles to push them 22 games back from the Boston Red Sox who currently lead the AL East with a win-loss record of 64-38. The loss took the Orioles to a pitiable 41-59 win-loss record for the season.
Toronto touched the .500 winning percentage for the fifth time after the All-Star break, slipping back four times already from this position. They are now 52-52 for the season and just 1.5 games shy of the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto takes on the Rays in a three-game
series starting Tuesday, August 2. The series will most probably ensure who finishes third in the AL East division.
Blue Jays started the game confidently and added two quick runs to put pressure on the visitors from the onset. The Blue Jays added the first run in the first inning when Jose Bautista sliced the ball towards the left field for a single, allowing Yunel Escobar
to complete his run.
The second run for the Blue Jays came as soon as the second inning when Eric Thames singled to the right, enabling Rajai Davis to complete his run and impose a vital two-run lead on the already struggling Orioles.
Orioles could have scored to come back in contention but they slipped an opportunity under pressure and Ricky Romero is intelligent enough not to allow another opportunity. Romero’s stay at the mound was spellbound. The Blue Jays' starter employed his entire
arsenal and kept Baltimore's batters guessing all night.
Just two outs shy of a complete game, Romero pitched 8.1 fascinating innings for just four hits and no run to register his eighth win. He is now just one win short of equalling his nine losses this season.
Blue Jays added the third run in the fourth inning when catcher J.P. Arencibia smashed his 16th home-run of the season to Alfredo Simon. Arencibia’s 16th homer was his career’s 18th and the young catcher is exhibiting his
batting qualities quite explicitly now.
Simon has had a very miserable season thus far and this game was no different. In five innings, Simon leaked seven hits and three runs to earn his fourth loss with just two wins to accompany the number of losses.
Romero remained humble after the game and said, "Started shaky, I wasn't being aggressive enough. Cost me some walks. After that I settled in and put guys away when I had to."
The Orioles have won just five of their last 12 games and just one in the last three. They will be looking to regroup as early as possible to avoid annihilation in the four-game series against the New York Yankees on the road.
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