BALTIMORE -- José Berríos had tormented the Orioles lengthy earlier than he arrived within the American League East in July 2021, by way of a midseason commerce from Minnesota to Toronto. Entering Thursday, the right-hander was 10-0 in 13 profession begins vs. Baltimore -- all wins for his workforce, apart from his first assembly with the O’s as a rookie on May 10, 2016.

“I didn’t even know that stat,” mentioned middle fielder Cedric Mullins, who has been with the Orioles since 2018.

Of course, he didn’t. Other members of Baltimore’s clubhouse doubtless didn’t both. They’re extra centered on the current season, one by which the Orioles dominated the Blue Jays and eventually broke via to finish their struggles in opposition to Berríos.

On Thursday evening, Baltimore tagged Berríos for 5 runs -- which included a pair of two-run homers by Anthony Santander and Mullins -- to again eight robust innings from Kyle Gibson in a 5-3 win over Toronto at Camden Yards. The victory put a pleasant bow on the Orioles’ season collection in opposition to the Blue Jays, which they gained, 10-3.

Baltimore’s .769 win share over Toronto marked its greatest in a season since 1994, when the O’s went 7-2 (.778) in opposition to the Blue Jays. This 12 months’s mark is tied for the Orioles’ fourth-best single-season profitable share vs. Toronto because the groups started taking part in in '77.

“They’re a great team -- and we’re a lot better team than we were in the past,” supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned. “We’re more talented.”

The O's would win any potential tiebreaker with the Blue Jays, though one is changing into much less more likely to be mandatory. Baltimore -- which reached a season-high 31 video games above .500 at 79-48 -- has a two-game lead over Tampa Bay within the American League East. Toronto (70-58) is 7 1/2 video games behind the Rays and 9 1/2 again of the Orioles.

Berríos was the ultimate Blue Jays-related hurdle to be conquered. He beforehand had a 2.66 profession ERA in opposition to Baltimore, and it regarded like his success might proceed when he retired the primary 9 batters he confronted on Thursday evening.

“He came out throwing the ball as good as I’ve seen in a while -- like always,” Hyde mentioned.

But Adley Rutschman opened the fourth with a single, and two batters later, Santander belted his team-high twenty fourth house run of the 12 months (his third in two days). The Statcast-projected 417-foot blast onto Eutaw Street in deep proper discipline knotted the competition at 2.

The Orioles took the lead with a three-run rally the following inning. After Austin Hays started the fifth with a single, Mullins went deep on the tenth pitch of his encounter with Berríos. Gunnar Henderson later added an RBI single to stretch Baltimore’s result in 5-2.

“Just continuing to stay focused on the plan,” Mullins mentioned of the membership’s strategy vs. Berríos. “We were able to come through today, put up some really good swings against him.”

Berríos was outdueled by Gibson, who grew to become the primary Orioles starter to go greater than 7 1/3 innings this season. The veteran right-hander allowed three runs on six hits and one stroll whereas putting out eight, and he retired seven of the ultimate eight batters he confronted within the 95-pitch outing.

Gibson received some assist from his protection, too. Ramón Urías made a pair of terrific performs at third base, whereas Mullins threw out Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen attempting to stretch a double right into a triple within the seventh.

“It’s every night with these guys. They just don’t take a play off,” Gibson mentioned. “They’re there when we need them every single night. Defense was definitely a big part of me getting through the eighth inning.”

Mullins known as the victory “just a great team win all around.” That description matches a lot of Baltimore’s video games in opposition to Toronto this 12 months -- and nearly all people else, for that matter.

The Orioles, who've both gained or break up 11 consecutive collection in opposition to AL East opponents, adopted up their 6-3 West Coast highway journey by taking two of three from the Blue Jays, having now gained eight of their previous 11 video games. The membership is continuous to push towards its first postseason berth since 2016, and it has six contests remaining on the homestand in opposition to a pair of sub-.500 groups -- the Rockies (48-79) and the White Sox (50-78).

Baltimore gained’t see any extra of Toronto, barring a possible assembly in October. And the O’s should be happy with how they fared in opposition to their powerful AL East rival.

“This is a big series for us. Any time you’re playing in-division and you’re playing a team that’s a playoff team, you’re going to want to win two out of three,” Gibson mentioned. “You want to be on these types of streaks right here, where you’re playing well and wins are the product at the end.”

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