Orioles rally from 3-run deficit, edge Toronto 5-4 despite ex-teammate Santander’s home run

BALTIMORE (AP) — Heston Kjerstad and Adley Rutschman homered, the Baltimore defense pulled off five double plays, and the Orioles rallied from an early three-run deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 on Saturday.

Cedric Mullins gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead in the sixth with a two-run double, and Baltimore held on from there.

Anthony Santander homered for the Blue Jays in his return to Camden Yards after he spent his first eight seasons with the Orioles.

Bryan Baker (1-0) won in relief, and Félix Bautista pitched the ninth for his first save — and Baltimore’s first of the season. The Orioles’ previous five wins were by a combined 28 runs.

The Blue Jays had men on second and third in the ninth when Bo Bichette — who had three hits — struck out swinging to end it.

Santander’s third-inning drive off Baltimore starter Tomoyuki Sugano gave Toronto a 3-0 lead, and Bowden Francis (1-2) took a perfect game into the fifth for the Blue Jays. But he came unglued quickly, allowing a one-out walk to Mullins and then Kjerstad’s two-run homer that made it 3-2.

The following inning, Rutschman tied it with a two-out homer. Francis then allowed a walk and a single before Mullins put Baltimore ahead to stay.

Francis allowed five runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Key moments

Toronto grounded into double plays in the second, fourth, sixth and seventh, and Santander’s flyout to right turned into one in the fifth when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was ruled to have left early while tagging up at first and running to second.

Key stat

This was the first time the Orioles did not have a save in their first 13 games since 1988, when Baltimore lost 21 in a row to begin the season.

Up next

Orioles LHP Cade Povich (0-1) takes the mound Sunday against Toronto RHP José Berríos (1-1). That’s the finale of this two-game set after Friday night’s game was rained out.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb