(Toronto) Austin Hays and Adley Rutschman hit productive singles in the second inning and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 on Thursday.
Hays drove in another run with a double in the ninth to help the Orioles (67-42) win Game 3 in the four-game series.
Ryan Mountcastle and Adam Frazier added sacrifice flys, while Ryan McKenna pushed a runner home with a bunt.
The Orioles had 15 hits, including 13 singles.
Jack Flaherty (8-6) allowed one run, four hits and two walks in six innings, in addition to striking out eight batters.
It was Flaherty’s first start for the Orioles. He was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday at the trade deadline.
Danny Coulombe, Yennier Cano and Mike Baumann took over without giving a point in the last three rounds.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the source of the Jays’ lone run (60-50) with a single in the sixth.
Kevin Gausman (8-6) had a tough night, giving up three runs, eight hits and two walks in four and a third innings.
Bowden Francis, Genesis Cabrera and Thomas Hatch saw relief action.
In the second, Mountcastle singled and went to second base on a hit from Frazier.
Hays got him across home plate with a single that eluded Matt Chapman, despite a dive, then Ramon Urias walked a base to fill the bases.
Gausman disposed of McKenna on momentum for the second out, but Rustchman followed it up with a single that scored Frazier.
Gausman loaded up the bases again in the fourth, giving singles to Mountcastle and Hays before a free pass to Urias. But he struck out McKenna and forced Rutschman to ground ball to end the inning.
The right-hander got himself into a tight spot again in the fifth, conceding a hit to Gunnar Henderson. He retired Anthony Santander, but Ryan O’Hearn singled against him to end his day’s work.
Mountcastle then hit a sacrifice fly away to right field. The point scored by Henderson was added to Gausman’s file.
Guerrero closed the gap for the Orioles in the sixth with a single. Kevin Kiermaier scored on that hit and Whit Merrifield advanced to third.
George Springer then walked to fill the bases with one out, but Chapman was struck out and Alejandro Kirk hit a fly ball to end the threat.
The Blue Jays begin a three-game series Friday against the Red Sox in Boston.