Jays win 9th straight game by beating Orioles 7-6

Rajai Davis hit a game-ending single, Munenori Kawasaki hit his first career home run and the Toronto Blue Jays used a ninth inning rally to edge the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Friday and extend their win streak to nine games.

Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind also had two home runs for Toronto (36-36), while closer Casey Janssen earned the win, salvaging a weak start by knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (6-8). Dickey earned a no decision after throwing seven-plus innings, striking out five but giving up six earned runs with two walks.

Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty all had home runs for Baltimore (42-32). Orioles starter Jason Hammel (7-4) fanned seven over six innings, giving up four earned runs and four hits with one walk.

Trailing 6-4, Toronto’s seventh began with promise as Maicer Izturis singled to right field off reliever Tommy Hunter. Josh Thole flied out to left field and Emilio Bonifacio struck out, bringing Kawasaki to the plate.

The Japanese infielder brought the 35,472 in attendance to their feet with his first-ever home run in Major League Baseball, tying the game 6-6. A rousing ovation for the crowd favourite brought Kawasaki out of the Toronto dugout to tip his cap. The fans chanted “KA-WA-SA-KI” after he repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

Melky Cabrera then singled to keep the Blue Jays’ rally alive, chasing Hunter from the game. Pinch runner Rajai Davis stole second with slugger Jose Bautista at bat, but Darren O’Day struck out the all-star right-fielder to end Toronto’s inning.

Baltimore’s eighth inning was brief, as Nick Markakis was called out on strikes and Adam Jones popped out to centre field. Davis, who took over left field for Cabrera, ended the inning by making a sprinting catch on Chris Davis in left-centre field.

The Blue Jays also had a quick eighth, as Encarnacion, Lind and Colby Rasmus flied out to left, right and centre field respectively.

Janssen had a three up, three down ninth inning retiring Matt Wieters, Hardy and Flaherty in quick succession.

Izturis started the Blue Jays ninth with a single to right field. He then advanced on Thole’s sacrifice bunt down the third-base line. Baltimore’s Brian Matusz then intentionally walked Toronto pinch hitter Mark DeRosa — in for Bonifacio — bringing Kawasaki to the plate.

The crowd alternated between chants of “Let’s go Blue Jays!” and “KA-WA-SA-KI!” as the Japanese infielder worked up to an eight-pitch 2-2 count, grounding out to second but advancing both Izturis and DeRosa.

Rajai Davis then hit a single to left field to score Izturis, ending the game.

Encarnacion got the Blue Jays’ first hit of the game when his hit fell between second baseman Flaherty and Markakis in shallow right field. He slid into second base just before shortstop Hardy could get the tag down. Lind then hit a home run over the right-field fence to give Toronto a 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was ejected from the game in the second after Chris Davis was called out swinging. Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez originally ruled that Davis had tipped the ball and that Blue Jays catcher Thole had failed to control it. Toronto manager John Gibbons came out to argue the call and, after a discussion among the officiating crew, it was ruled a strikeout.

This brought Showalter out from the Baltimore dugout. He was tossed from the game by Hernandez after a lengthy debate along the first-base line. Showalter pointed to each member of the umpiring crew and pantomimed throwing them out of the game before leaving the field.

Wieters then struck out, but Hardy hit a home run to deep left to make it 2-1. After Flaherty was hit by a pitch, Danny Valencia grounded out to second to end Baltimore’s inning.

Both pitchers settled in and made quick work of the hitters until the fifth. Hardy reached base leading off the inning when the ball deflected off Dickey’s glove and over to Kawasaki, whose throw to first was too late. Dickey seemed unfazed by the play.

Hardy was forced out at second on Flaherty’s single and the inning ended when Valencia lined to Kawasaki, who ran to second to get the double play.

Izturis began Toronto’s fifth with a walk, advancing to second on Thole’s groundout to Flaherty. Izturis made it to third on Bonifacio’s pop fly to deep right field along the first-base line.

Kawasaki then cashed in the Blue Jays third baseman with a single to centre field. Melky Cabrera’s swinging strikeout ended Toronto’s inning, with the Blue Jays holding a 3-1 lead.

The Blue Jays built a solid 3-1 lead in the first five innings, but Dickey struggled in the sixth, giving up a hit to Nate McLouth. Toronto got an out when Manny Machado popped to right, but Dickey walked Nick Markakis and Adam Jones drove in McLouth with a single that was out of the reach of a diving Kawasaki at short.

Chris Davis then cleared the bases with a homer to deep left — his 27th of the season — to give Baltimore a 5-3 lead. Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy both flied out to end the inning.

Encarnacion crushed the 10th pitch he faced in the sixth inning, with the ball landing in the Rogers Centre’s second deck. That shot pulled Toronto to within one. Lind then grounded out to second and centre-fielder Colby Rasmus flied out to shallow left to end the sixth.

Baltimore immediately responded in the top of the seventh, with Flaherty smashing a home run to deep right field. Dickey was pulled after walking Valencia. He was replaced by right-hander Brett Cecil.

Cecil induced a McLouth pop fly to right field and then struck out Machado. The inning ended when Valencia was caught stealing, with Cecil throwing to first base and Lind relaying the ball to Kawasaki at second, who applied the tag to the Orioles’ runner.