BALTIMORE — To say that the Orioles outplayed the Blue Jays in their head-to-head matchups this summer would be putting it mildly. Not only did Baltimore win 10 of the 13 games, the Orioles outscored the Blue Jays by a margin of 75-40, leaving no doubt as to which team’s playing better baseball.
Those 13 games go a long way toward explaining why Baltimore’s 9.5 games ahead of Toronto in the AL East – why Baltimore’s heading toward a first-round playoff bye while the Blue Jays fight for their lives in the wild card race. They also signal a broader power shift within the division as this Orioles team isn’t going anywhere. In fact, with 19-year-old super-prospect Jackson Holliday approaching quickly, they may soon get better.
Not great, then, if you’re the Toronto Blue Jays. The best thing you can say about the 13 games between these two teams is that they’re over now, with a 5-3 Baltimore win that wrapped up the season series at Camden Yards Thursday.
“They’re real,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of the Orioles. “They’re a good team. They can beat you in a lot of different ways. They’ve got a lockdown eight-nine in their bullpen and you’ve got to get to their starters. When you don’t do that, it makes it really tough. Their lineup’s good. They’ve got speed, they can match up. They’re having a good year for a reason.”
A late flight home is next for the Blue Jays, after which their schedule finally eases. Frustrating though these Orioles games were, this isn’t the time to panic. Remember, the Blue Jays are very much in contention even after losing a half game in the standings to the idle Mariners, who now lead Toronto by 1.5 games in the wild card race. Houston also lost Thursday, meaning they’re tied with Seattle, 1.5 games ahead of the Blue Jays.
Starting Friday, the Blue Jays face five consecutive non-contenders in what will be their best chance to gain real ground against the AL West teams they’re chasing. After the Guardians and Nationals visit Toronto, the Blue Jays head West to face the Rockies and Athletics before returning home for three against the Royals.
It’s a great opportunity for the Blue Jays to gain ground, but that’s easier said than done at a time that the team’s offence isn’t clicking. Granted, Jays off-season target Kyle Gibson pitched well, but it was still another quiet night at the plate for the Blue Jays, who combined for just six hits a day after being shut out.
A Brandon Belt home run was the lone offensive highlight for the visitors while the home team managed two critical home runs against Jays starter Jose Berrios. With one out in the fourth inning, Anthony Santander demolished a two-run homer beyond the right field wall onto Eutaw Street, connecting for his third long ball in two days.
“I was trying to go fastball up and away,” recalled Berrios, who threw 79 pitches following a one hour, 10 minute rain delay. “And I did it, but I think it would have to be (higher) above the zone. He’s a great hitter and he got me. Hopefully we get another chance to see how that goes.”
If that happens, it’ll be in the ALDS or ALCS, and the Blue Jays would welcome either outcome, but they have lots of work to do first.
The next inning it was Cedric Mullins who connected for a two-run shot on the 10th pitch of his at-bat, a 97 m.p.h. fastball in the upper part of the zone. Berrios still managed to cover six innings, but by the time he left the game Baltimore had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“The first time through the lineup we saw that we had good (results) with the fastball against them, so we stayed with that pitch,” Berrios said. “They made the adjustment quickly and did damage.”
It added up to a frustrating night for the Blue Jays one day after Kevin Gausman spoke about the importance of playing with a sense of urgency. And while there’s no doubt the Blue Jays are preparing and trying, we’re now at the point in the season where results matter more than process.
A 3-10 record against Baltimore speaks volumes. And while there’s no doubt opportunity still exists for the Blue Jays, they can’t afford to waste this upcoming stretch against sub-.500 teams.
It may be August, but the division is out of hand and the Blue Jays are looking up at multiple teams in wild card race. It’s time to win or go home.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ve got to be aggressive, we’ve got to be on the attack,” said Schneider. “We’ve got to have good at bats. Our pitching has been really good. But it’s just putting everything together. We’ve got to limit outs on the bases, we’ve got to make the plays and we’ve got to have consistent at bats. There’s no time to wait. There’s no time to wait at all. We’ve got to do it right [expletive] now.”