Gunnar Henderson had three hits, including a grand slam, and the Baltimore Orioles cruised to an 11-6 rout of the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
Henderson, the reigning American League Player of the Week, has homered in three straight games. He is 13-for-24 (.542) with four homers, 10 RBIs and six runs over his past six games.
Adam Frazier, Ryan O’Hearn and Aaron Hicks also homered for the Orioles, who pounded out a season-high 17 hits in winning their fifth straight game.
With his team staked to a big lead, Baltimore’s Dean Kremer (7-3) worked six innings. He gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out six without a walk.
Toronto starter Chris Bassitt (7-5), who had given up just two runs over his past two starts spanning 15 2/3 innings, departed after allowing eight runs on 11 hits over three innings.
Cavan Biggio homered in his second straight game and Daulton Varsho had three hits for the Blue Jays, who have lost three of their last four.
Toronto took an early 1-0 lead when George Springer led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Baltimore took the lead in the second when Austin Hays opened with a double and, one out later, Frazier homered to right center.
The Orioles broke the game open with a six-run third. After Anthony Santander led off with a single, O’Hearn lined a home run to center. Hicks singled and, with two outs, Ramon Urias singled and Jorge Mateo walked, bringing up Henderson. He sent a 1-0 cutter out to center for his 10th homer of the season, and the Orioles’ lead was 8-1.
Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single in the fourth made it 8-2, but Hicks’ solo homer with two outs in the bottom half of the frame pushed the lead to 9-2.
Santander added an RBI single in the fifth and Frazier’s single in the sixth scored Hays to make it 11-2 before Biggio’s solo homer highlighted a two-run eighth.
Toronto added a pair of runs on a forceout and an RBI single in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
