BALTIMORE–What happened? The Toronto Blue Jays entered Monday night’s game with baseball’s best record and the Orioles were facing a likely selloff in the next 72 hours.
Instead, the Orioles, who have won four of their last five, put on an offensive show, beating the Blue Jays 11-4 before 20,176 at Camden Yards.
The Orioles (48-58) are far out of contention, but they still entertained the fans who came for Jordan Westburg bobbleheads.
Catcher Adley Rutschman returned from the injured list and had three hits and two RBIs. Coby Mayo had his first three-hit game. Ramón Laureano hit his 15th home run and drove in three runs.
Cedric Mullins, facing a likely trade by the Thursday 6 p.m. deadline, hit a two-run home run, his 15th, and made a home run-stealing catch.
“I think all the guys in this locker room have a lot of confidence in each other,” Rutschman said. “Tonight, we were able to string together a lot of good stuff and, like I said, everyone’s got confidence in each other.”
The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the second on Mullins’ two-run home run followed by Mayo’s third. It was the eighth time the Orioles hit back-to-back home runs this year.
Toronto (63-44) tied it at 3 in the third on home runs by Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. against Oriole starter Zach Eflin. Guerrero’s was a two-run home run.
In his first game since June 19th because of an oblique strain, Rutschman’s two-run double against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt (11-5) gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the third. Rutschman, batting cleanup, scored on Laureano’s single.
“He’s a pretty good player,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said of Rutschman. “You look back on the first 2 1/2 years in the league, and he was projected to be going a long way in this game for a long time. So, he’s gone through some struggles here over probably a 300-at-bat span.
“That’s probably the right way to look at it. It felt like he was coming out of it a little bit when he got hurt. Today was another nice step in the right direction, so hopefully he continues.”
In the top of the fourth, Eflin gave up a run as Ernie Clement scored on Will Wagner’s infield out. But for the second time in three games, Mullins made an exceptional catch, robbing Lukes of a home run with a leaping catch at the wall to keep the Orioles in front, 6-4.
“Just watching him from my perspective on the mound, catching that ball was just incredible,” Eflin said. “Because in my mind, I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s another homer. Year of the homer for me and there’s another two-run shot.’
“And Ced just climbs the wall and makes the catch, and it just brings back the momentum and fuels the offense for the next half and really just sets the tone for the rest of the game.”
Eflin allowed four runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
The Orioles added four runs to take a 10-4 lead after five on back-to-back doubles by Rutschman and Ryan O’Hearn, a two-run home run by Laureano, his 15th, and a strange tapper to Blue Jays reliever Tommy Nance by Mayo.
Instead of flipping the ball home for what looked to be an easy out on Colton Cowser, Nance inexplicably threw to first, allowing Cowser to scored.
Corbin Martin (1-0) relieved Eflin and recorded his first win since his major league debut on May 12th, 2019, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
There was a scary moment in the ninth when Kade Strowd hit George Springer in the helmet with a pitch. Springer stayed on the ground for several minutes before he walked off the field with support from Toronto trainers.
Toronto manager John Schneider said that Springer was being evaluated.
Martin, Colin Selby, Grant Wolfram and Strowd combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
How about the Orioles offense? The Orioles had 16 hits, tied for their third highest total of the season, and their lineup had all regulars except for Mayo.
“Having them all together helps,” Mansolino said. “It’s better than not. I think we know that. I do think the guys have played good baseball for a couple months, and I feel like they have swung the bat better over a couple months and I would guess the numbers kind of show that.
“The runner in scoring position stuff has been a lot better over the last couple months, relative to the previous six months. So, I do feel like they have been trending in the right direction for a while, and then you have a big night like tonight against a first-place team, and then it kind of stands out a little more.”
What about the trade deadline? There were no trades on Monday, and the Orioles continue to answer questions about possible deals.
Eflin, who came to the Orioles a year ago just ahead of the trade deadline, could be moving again.
“It’s a hard question to answer on the spot and not knowing what’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to wear this uniform and I don’t take that for granted. I’ve made a lot of really, really amazing friendships in this clubhouse that are going to last a lifetime, but I don’t want to speak ahead of anything. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I don’t think anybody knows what’s going to happen. but if something does happen, I’ll forever appreciate my time here and just how much of a family this clubhouse is.”
Rutschman would like to avoid the subject.
“Try not to,” he said. “Try and just focus on the game as much as possible. A lot of that stuff is not in our control, and so, you never know what’s going to happen, and whatever happens, we’ll roll with it. But love the guys in this clubhouse.”
What does it mean? The Orioles’ offense has perked up too late to avoid a selloff, but many of those players will still be around on Friday, after the deadline has passed.
What’s the stat of the day? The Orioles have 39 hits over the last three games, the most in any three-game span since June 25th-27th, 2024.
What’s the word? “Just his presence alone, he’s an amazing teammate, amazing person. To have his bat back in the lineup, to have him back behind the dish, just means the world to these guys, and you can tell how much he means to these guys, just with the reactions of him being back in the clubhouse.”–Eflin on Rutschman
What’s next? The Orioles play the Blue Jays in a day/night doubleheader on Tuesday. Game times are 12:35 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. Charlie Morton (6-8, 5.48) will start Game 1. Brandon Young could be the 27th man and start Game 2 for the Orioles.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com