Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto, Thursday, June 6, 2024.
12:31 JST, June 7, 2024
TORONTO (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a three-run home run, Yusei Kikuchi pitched six innings to snap a seven-start winless streak and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Thursday to split their four-game series. series.
Adley Rutschman homered from both sides of the plate for the first time in his career, but the Orioles lost their second straight game.
It was certainly a hard-fought series, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I just couldn’t be happier with how they responded after the first two.”
Baltimore scored 19 runs in the first 20 innings of this series, but only five in the last 16 innings.
Rutschman hit a solo home run off left-hander Kikuchi (3-5) in the sixth inning and added a two-run explosion off righty Zach Pop in the eighth. The home runs were his 11th and 12th this season.
He gives you a great at-bat every time, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “He competes, and he can really hit.”
Rutschman also homered twice in a 3-2 home loss to Toronto on May 13. Both came against right-hander José Berríos.
Kikuchi allowed one run and four hits. He walked one and struck out six.
That’s probably the best I’ve seen him against us, Hyde said. “He was good, but those were 97, 98 mph shots with a really good breaking ball and a changeup.”
Yimi García gave up a two-out home run and two runs to pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn in the ninth, but retired pinch-hitter Kyle Stowers and earned his fourth save in five chances.
O’Hearn’s homer was his eighth of the season.
Guerrero reached base three times as the Blue Jays became the last AL East team to reach 30 wins.
Guerrero called it “huge” for Toronto to rebound after 7-2 and 10-1 losses in the first two games against the Orioles.
It looks better, but I don’t feel comfortable yet, Guerrero said through an interpreter. “We have to win more games.”
In his major league debut, Baltimore’s Cade Povich allowed six runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out two just hours after the O’s selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk and sent lefty Nick Vespi to Triple-A.
“I felt completely prepared, completely ready,” Povich said. “It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for since I was a little kid.”
Povich (0-1) needed just four pitches to strike out leadoff hitter Davis Schneider, and he retired the first five batters in a row.
Guerrero made Povich pay for a pair of walks in the third by hitting a two-out home run, going deep for the seventh time this season. It was the first goal the left-hander allowed.
Just a few throws, he’ll probably want to get back, Hyde said. “I thought he threw the ball great. Good fastball, I liked his cutter. I liked the balance on the hill. He pitched in the sixth inning on the road in his first Major League start. I thought he did a great job.”
The Orioles are 6-10 in one-run games.
NEXT ONE
Orioles: Baltimore has not named a starter for Friday’s game at Tampa Bay, the opener of a four-game series. RHP Aaron Civale (2-4, 5.37 ERA) is scheduled for the Rays.
Blue Jays: RHP Chris Bassitt (6-6, 4.13 ERA) is expected to start against his former team on Friday night when Toronto begins a three-game series in Oakland. RHP Luis Medina (0-0, 0.00) is scheduled for the Athletics.
