Bateman and Kirk hit homers to power Blue Jays to 7-3 victory over Orioles

TORONTO - Brett Bateman and Alejandro Kirk delivered power hits to propel the Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-3 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles in a game played on Saturday at Rogers Centre. The Toronto franchise secured a 1.5-game deficit behind Cleveland in the quest for the final wild-card position in the American League. The Orioles' Pete Alonso drove home a two-run home run off the left-field fence in the seventh inning.

Toronto's Spencer Miles fought through a 31-pitch first inning, connecting on a deep flyout with the bases loaded. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added an RBI double in the bottom half of that inning, scoring on a Kirk single. Baltimore took the lead in the fourth inning following a double-error by Toronto third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. The Blue Jays' bullpen, including pitchers Mason Fluharty, Paul Sewald, Tyler Rogers, and Louis Varland, contributed significantly to the win.

Toronto's ace, Dylan Cease (10-5, 2.40), was set to take the mound on Sunday against Trevor Rogers (10-9, 4.15) in the rubber match of the three-game series.