IAN HARRISON
Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles aren’t exactly heading into the playoffs on a hot streak.
Jose Reyes had two hits and two RBIs, J.A. Happ won consecutive starts for the first time since late May and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the AL East champion Orioles 4-2 Saturday.
It was Baltimore’s sixth defeat in nine games, and the third time in that span that they’ve committed three errors.
“It would be nice to get some momentum going into the postseason,” Baltimore’s Steve Pearce said. “But we know what we can do, we aren’t pressing right now.”
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (16-6), expected to start the second game of the division series against Detroit or Kansas City next week, allowed three runs — two earned — and five hits in six innings.
“This is only my second time pitching here so I wasn’t all that familiar with the stadium,” Chen said through a translator. “I tried to do my best.”
Brad Brach and Zach Britton each worked one inning of relief, and manager Buck Showalter will use several more bullpen arms in Sunday’s season finale as he tried to keep his pitchers fresh for the playoffs.
“We’ve got some things accomplished,” Showalter said. “We’d still like to get a ‘W.'”
Happ (11-11) allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings for his first winning streak since posting three straight victories in May.
“He was really good today,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “He’s proven he’s a pitcher who goes deep into games.”
Happ left after walking J.J. Hardy in the seventh. Aaron Sanchez walked pinch-hitter Steve Clevenger on four pitches, then induced an inning-ending, double-play grounder from Caleb Joseph, who is in an 0-for-30 slide.
Casey Janssen got three outs for his 25th save in 30 chances.
With Kansas City clinching at least a wild-card berth, Toronto becomes the team with the longest playoff drought, which extends to the Blue Jays’ second straight World Series title in 1993.
Toronto was 38-24 on the morning of June 7 and led the AL East by six games. Since then they’re 45-54, including a 9-17 slide in August.
“This one is probably going to be the season that stings the most,” said closer Casey Janssen, a career Blue Jay who is eligible for free agency. “Out of my years here, it’s the one that you could really say got away. It’s really too bad, because I think everyone had that sense that this was going to be that year, that special season.”
Nelson Cruz hit a leadoff triple in the second and scored on Delmon Young’s single, but the Blue Jays answered with two runs in the third on back-to-back RBI doubles by Steve Tolleson and Reyes.
Toronto made it 3-1 in the fifth when first baseman Christian Walker couldn’t hold onto Hardy’s throw on Edwin Encarnacion’s two-out grounder to shortstop, allowing Reyes to score from third.
Adam Jones cut the deficit to one with his 29th homer, a two-out drive off the facing of the second deck in the sixth.
Toronto’s Kevin Pillar was called out at the plate after trying to score from third on Reyes’ shallow fly ball to center in the seventh, but Blue Jays manager John Gibbons came out to challenge umpire Jim Wolf’s call. After a 3-minute, 17-second review, the call was overturned.
Selected from Triple-A Norfolk before the game, Alexi Casilla started at third base and batted leadoff for the Orioles, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Casilla is eligible for postseason play because he was in the organization on Aug. 31 and can replace a player from the 40-man roster who will remain on the disabled list during the start of postseason play.
TORONTO TROUBLES
The Orioles are 10-8 against the Blue Jays this year. They’ve never won more than 11 games against Toronto in a single season.
BLUE JAY BASHER
Jones’ homer was his 25th against Toronto, his most against any opponent.
UP NEXT
Orioles RHP Miguel Gonzalez (9-9) will face Blue Jays RHP R.A. Dickey (14-12) in Sunday’s season finale. Gonzalez is 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays this season. He’s seeking to become the fourth Baltimore starter with at least 10 wins, something the Orioles have not done since 1997.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
