TORONTO (AP) — Anthony Santander hit his second career grand slam, Gunnar Henderson homered for the second straight game and the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles remained unbeaten in Toronto this season, routing the Blue Jays 13-3 Tuesday night.
Baltimore maintained its 1 1/2-game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East. The Rays beat the New York 5-2 at Yankee Stadium.
Santander went 3 for 4 with a walk and four RBIs. He cleared the bases with his 19th home run, a deep drive off Nate Pearson in the eighth.
“That gave us some big-time breathing room,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We had great at-bats all night.”
Henderson went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and Ryan Mountcastle reached base four times and drove in two runs as the Orioles won for the fourth time in five games and improved their league-best record to 66-41.
Baltimore is 23-13 against AL East opponents. The Orioles have gone 21-9 in division play after losing four of their first six against division foes.
Santander called Baltimore’s performance against the East “amazing.”
“Competing with those teams in, for me, the hardest division in baseball, is huge,” he said.
Right-hander Kyle Bradish said the level of competition in the East brings out the best in Baltimore.
“We’re a confident team whenever we play anybody, but we know these division games have a little more pressure to them,” Bradish said. “We’re obviously in the hardest division in baseball, so we know we’ve got to show up because the other team is going to show up, too.”
Bradish (7-6) allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings, snapping a two-start losing streak. He walked one and struck out seven.
“He just kept these guys off balance,” Hyde said. “He’s got premier stuff. Big for him to go seven innings for us.”
Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen hit a two-run home run and Brandon Belt added a solo shot, but Toronto fell to 1-7 against the Orioles, including 0-5 north of the border.
Toronto is 7-22 against AL East opponents.
Blue Jays left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu was activated off the injured list to make his season debut. The former All-Star had Tommy John surgery in June 2022.
Adley Rutschman and Mountcastle opened the game with back-to-back doubles and Santander followed with a single. Henderson drove in a run with a two-out fielder’s choice.
“We were aggressive, but in the zone,” Santander said of Baltimore’s approach against Ryu. “We know he likes to pitch on the corners, he’s a really good and smart pitcher. We attacked him early in counts.”
Ryu (0-1) allowed four runs and nine hits in five-plus innings, leaving after Henderson’s leadoff homer in the sixth. Ryu walked one and struck out three.
“He kind of got ambushed early there in the first inning,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Kind of what we expected navigating a tough lineup. I thought he got better as his outing went on.”
Jansen matched his career best with his 15th home run, connecting off Bradish in the second. Belt tied it at 3 with a one-out drive in the third, his ninth of the season.
Henderson broke the tie in the sixth with his 18th home run. He also hit a solo home run Monday.
Mountcastle’s second double of the game drove in a run in Baltimore’s three-run seventh against left-hander Génesis Cabrera.
After sitting out Monday, Blue Jays outfielder George Springer returned but went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Springer is hitless in 34 at-bats.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: AL batting leader Bo Bichette has inflammation in the patellar tendon of his right knee, but an MRI Monday night showed no structural damage, the team said. Bichette is day to day. He left Monday’s game in the third.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Both the Orioles and Blue Jays made deals with the Cardinals before the trade deadline passed Tuesday evening. Baltimore bolstered its rotation by adding RHP Jack Flaherty. After seeing Bichette leave Monday night, Toronto reacted by picking up veteran SS Paul DeJong.
UNHAPPY 13
The 13 runs allowed was a season-worst for Toronto. It was the most runs by a Blue Jays opponent since a 13-4 loss to Boston on July 19, 2021.
ROSTER MOVES
Toronto designated OF Jordan Luplow for assignment to make room for DeJong on the 40-man roster and optioned RHP Bowden Francis to Triple-A Buffalo. INF Ernie Clement was recalled from Triple-A, while infielder Otto Lopez was recalled from the Bisons and placed on the 60-day IL because of a strained left oblique.
UP NEXT
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (8-3, 3.79 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-2, 6.21) goes for the Orioles.
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