By Canadian Press

Blue Jays drop 7-5 decision to Orioles in final tune-up ahead of playoffs

Sep 27, 2020 | 4:14 PM

BUFFALO, United States — The Toronto Blue Jays dropped a 7-5 decision to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon in a final tune-up ahead of their first post-season appearance in four years.

The Orioles scored three runs in the fourth inning and tacked on three more in the fifth as the Blue Jays’ four-game win streak ended in their regular-season finale. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., homered for the Blue Jays, who rested slugger Teoscar Hernandez and their main relievers.

The loss means Toronto will be seeded eighth in the American League and take on the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in a best-of-three wild-card series starting Tuesday at Tropicana Field.

At the start of the day, the Blue Jays had a chance to rise to the fifth seed. Potential outcomes existed that could have seen first-round matchups against the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians or the Chicago White Sox.

Toronto was 4-6 against Tampa Bay this season. Four of the Blue Jays’ six losses were by one run.

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The Blue Jays finished the pandemic-shortened 60-game campaign with a 32-28 record. Toronto was 17-9 at Sahlen Field, normally the home of the team’s triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons.

Toronto starter Tanner Roark lasted four innings and Shun Yamaguchi (2-4) shouldered the loss after working two frames. Gurriel had four hits on the day and scored three runs. 

Roark loaded the bases in the first inning after giving up two singles and a walk. He escaped damage by getting Hanser Alberto to ground into a force out to cap a 23-pitch frame.

Toronto right-fielder Jonathan Davis made an all-world play in the second inning to take a home run away from Cedric Mullins. Davis extended his left arm over the top of the wall near the foul pole and managed to squeeze the ball as he crashed to the warning track. 

Davis drove in the game’s first run in the bottom half of the frame as his sacrifice fly scored Gurriel, who led off with a double.

Baltimore’s Renato Nunez drove in Austin Hayes with a two-out double in the third to put the Orioles on the board but Toronto answered with a three-run frame against Orioles starter Keegan Akin. Guerrero’s solo shot was his ninth homer of the year and Gurriel hit a no-doubt two-run shot for his 11th homer of the season.

Mullins helped the Orioles (25-35) cut into the lead with a two-run triple in the fourth inning and Hays drove him in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Yamaguchi gave up three straight hits in Baltimore’s three-run fifth as the Orioles pulled ahead to stay. 

Travis Lakins Sr., (3-2) worked two innings for the victory. Cesar Valdez pitched the ninth inning for his third save. 

Under Major League Baseball’s expanded playoff structure, 16 teams will play in the post-season. Division winners are seeded Nos. 1-3 in each league, second-place teams are seeded fourth through sixth and two wild-card teams get the seventh and eighth spots.  

The Blue Jays last reached the post-season in 2016 as a wild-card entry. Toronto went on to reach the American League Championship Series for the second straight year.

Toronto’s last World Series victory came in 1993. A long playoff drought followed until the Blue Jays returned to the post-season in 2015. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2020.

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

The Canadian Press