Gausman Pitches Orioles Past Blue Jays 4-2
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Kevin Gausman gave up one run over six innings and Delmon Young homered as the Baltimore Orioles beat Mark Buehrle and the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Thursday night.
Nick Markakis had two hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who moved within 3 1-2 games of first-place Toronto in the AL East.
Gausman (2-1) allowed five hits, walked three and struck out three in his second consecutive solid outing. The 2012 first-round draft pick stymied Oakland on June 7 after being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk and now appears to be a fixture in the starting rotation.
Zach Britton worked the ninth for his sixth save. The victory wasn't secured, however, until a replay review confirmed the final out on a double-play grounder.
Buehrle (10-3) yielded four runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings to lose his second straight start following a six-game winning streak. The left-hander allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of his previous 13 starts.
Toronto has lost three straight and five of six.
Baltimore needed just two at-bats to take a 2-0 lead. Markakis led off with a single and the seldom-used Young sent a changeup into the seats in left field, his first home run since April 8 and only the fourth against Buehrle this season.
It was the eighth straight game in which Toronto allowed the opposition to score first.
The Orioles made it 3-0 in the third. Manny Machado led off with a double to end an 0-for-18 skid and Caleb Joseph delivered an RBI single.
Toronto got a run in the fifth when Juan Francisco doubled and came home on a single by Melky Cabrera. The double ended Baltimore's string of 23 innings without allowing an extra-base hit, and the run snapped the Orioles' streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings.
That would be the only flaw in an otherwise solid performance by Gausman, who was 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA in his previous four appearances against Toronto.
Doubles by Jonathan Schoop and Markakis put Baltimore up 4-1 in the seventh, and Toronto got a run off Ryan Webb in the eighth when Jose Bautista doubled, stole third and scored on a groundout by Adam Lind.
NOTES: Toronto OF Colby Rasmus (right hamstring) made his first rehab start Thursday, serving as DH for Triple-A Buffalo. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Rasmus would play five innings in the field Friday before being reevaluated. Rasmus hasn't played since May 13. ... Baltimore will send Ubaldo Jimenez (2-7) to the mound Friday night in the second game of the series. Jimenez is 0-5 with a 7.04 ERA in six home starts. Drew Hutchison (4-4) will start for Toronto. ... Baltimore pitchers have gone 42 straight innings without allowing a home run. ... Toronto's Jose Reyes opened the game with a single to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. ... Markakis passed Brian Roberts and moved into sole possession of seventh place on the Orioles' career list with 1,453 hits.
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