Field Level Media
Sep 17, 2019
Justin Smoak hit a tiebreaking homer to lead off the top of the ninth inning, and Cavan Biggio later completed his cycle with a two-run triple that helped the visiting Toronto Blue Jays earn an 8-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.
Mychal Givens (2-6) came on to pitch for the Orioles in the ninth, and Smoak belted his homer to right on the second pitch. Biggio tripled with two outs to drive in two more and give the Jays a 7-4 lead. They scored four overall in the ninth.
Biggio became the first Toronto player to hit for the cycle since 2001, finishing 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Ryan Tepera opened for the Jays and gave up two runs in one inning. Trent Thornton then came on and threw five strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Derek Law (1-2) earned the victory in relief.
Chandler Shepherd made his first major league start and came away with a no-decision for Baltimore. He gave up two homers among his four hits, surrendering three runs while striking out four and walking one in four innings.
Trey Mancini started the scoring when he hit a two-run homer off of Tepera in the first inning.
Shepherd then got touched up twice by the long ball. First, Randal Grichuk sent a solo homer to right in the second inning that cut the lead to 2-1.
The Jays then took a 3-2 lead when Biggio hit a two-run home run to deep center field in the third. The Orioles bounced back, however, when Mancini tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Mancini struck once more for his fourth RBI of the game, on a single to left, that gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead in the seventh. Toronto answered when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. sent a sacrifice fly to deep right in the top of the eighth.
That came after Biggio lined a one-out double and stole third without a throw when pitcher Shawn Armstrong didn't look back at him to second in the stretch. Smoak and Biggio then gave the Jays all they would need in the ninth, though Biggio would later score in the ninth on an error.
Jonathan Villar hit a solo homer in the ninth for Baltimore's last run.
--Field Level Media