By Canadian Press

Orioles halt Blue Jays’ win streak at three with 4-2 victory

Aug 31, 2021 | 8:45 PM

TORONTO — A sixth-inning collapse from starter Hyun Jin Ryu halted the Blue Jays’ modest three-game win streak on Tuesday. 

Ryu had a no-hitter going through 5 2/3 innings before he surrendered three runs in a 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the worst team in Major League Baseball. 

Once the Blue Jays (69-62) fell behind, they couldn’t please the crowd of 13,963 at Rogers Centre with a late-game rally. They have gone a dismal 8-38 when trailing after six innings. 

Down 3-1 in the sixth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. greeted Orioles (41-90) reliever Jorge Lopez with a lead-off homer. Guerrero’s 39th homer — and third in two games — just cleared the right-field wall. 

Lopez replaced starter Keegan Akin, who picked up his first victory against eight losses last week. Akin only gave up two hits, but his first was a lead-off homer to Toronto catcher Danny Jansen in the third inning. 

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After five weeks on the injury list, Jansen returned to the lineup with a right hamstring ailment. In his first MLB at-bat since July 21, Jansen drilled a 0-1 fastball into the second deck in left field for his sixth homer of the season. 

Guerrero had runners on first and second with two out in the seventh inning but lined out to centre field. 

Ryu took that 1-0 lead and a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. He retired the first two batters to give him a stretch of 15 straight outs. Jahmal Jones lined out to centre, and Ryu made an excellent play back pedalling four steps behind the mound to snag a tricky pop-up from lead-off hitter Cedric Mullins. 

The Blue Jays starter then fell apart. Orioles rookie first baseman Ryan Mountcastle smacked an opposite-field double down the right-field line and scored on Austin Hays single to centre to tie the game. 

Ryu then walked designated hitter Anthony Santander, and infielder Ramon Urias smashed a line drive down the left-field line for a two-run double. 

That was the game for Ryu (12-8), seeking to tie New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the American League lead in wins at 13. 

Ryu struck out six in but walked three and wound up surrendering three hits in the sixth. 

He was coming off a poor outing against the Chicago White Sox last Thursday, in which he gave up three homers and seven runs in a 7-1 loss. 

Adam Cimber took over for Ryu. But after Guerrero pulled the Blue Jays to within 3-2, Cimber gave up another run in the seventh. He issued a lead-off walk to shortstop Jorge Mateo and then threw wildly on a pick-off attempt to allow Mateo to advance to third. 

He scored on a Jones line-drive single to centre. 

To make room for Jansen, the Blue Jays optioned pitcher Trent Thornton to Triple-A Buffalo 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 31, 2021.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press