Mark Reynolds homers as Orioles beat Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Britton delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a game in Toronto. (Sept. 4, 2012) Credit: AP
TORONTO -- Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer, Zach Britton pitched seven innings to win his fourth straight start and the Baltimore Orioles moved into a first-place tie in the AL East with a 12-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Baltimore's third consecutive victory coupled with the Yankees' loss at Tampa Bay gave the Orioles a share of first place in September for the first time since 1997, the last time they won the division and advanced to the playoffs.
Reynolds went 3 for 4 with four RBIs as the Orioles pounded out a season-high 18 hits.
Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to face the Blue Jays, Britton (5-1) allowed four hits and improved to 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA in four starts since his last loss on Aug. 1 against New York. The left-hander struck out eight and walked two, one intentional.
Kevin Gregg worked the eighth and Zach Phillips finished for the Orioles, who have won three straight and 21 of 29.
Struggling Toronto was held scoreless for the second straight game and has dropped four in a row.
Reynolds hit his 17th homer off Carlos Villanueva in the fifth. It also was his fifth homer in five games.
Nate McLouth added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and the Orioles pulled away with a three-run seventh. Robert Andino chased Villanueva with a sacrifice fly, Aaron Loup's balk scored Manny Machado and J.J. Hardy singled in Nick Markakis.
Villanueva (7-5) lost for the fifth time in seven starts, allowing a season-high six runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.
Baltimore added five more runs against Loup and Chad Beck in a 10-batter seventh. Chris Davis hit an RBI double, Reynolds and Machado each singled in a run, Markakis tacked on an RBI double and McLouth capped the outburst with an RBI single. The Orioles left the bases loaded when Adam Jones grounded into a double play.
Mechanical troubles with the retractable roof at Rogers Centre left the field slippery and damp during the middle innings as rain fell inside the stadium. The team apologized to fans after the roof was unable to close at the normal speed, leaving many people opening umbrellas to protect themselves from the elements.
Groundskeepers had to use drying agents on the mound and dirt cutouts around the bases before the bottom of the sixth inning as rain continued to fall on the infield. The roof finally closed in the bottom of the seventh.
The Blue Jays had a 26-minute delay in July 2003, when a sudden storm drenched the field before the roof could close during a game against the Chicago White Sox.
NOTES: The shutout was Baltimore's ninth of the season. ... Orioles RHP Jason Hammel is expected to come off the 15-day disabled list to start Thursday in the opener of a crucial four-game series against the Yankees in Baltimore. ... Baltimore LHP Chris Tillman underwent an MRI. Tillman, who left after three innings of Sunday's victory over the Yankees, has no structural damage but is suffering nerve inflammation. It's not known when he'll pitch next. ... The Blue Jays recalled Beck and OF Anthony Gose from Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Orioles minor league LHP Kevin Grendell has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance.
