TORONTO - Jose Bautista's sacrifice fly in the seventh inning brought home the winning run as the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Sunday.
Bautista's sacrifice capped a three-run seventh that also saw rookies David Cooper and Adam Loewen of Surrey, B.C., belt solo homers for Toronto before 17,235 spectators at Rogers Centre.
Joel Carreno (1-0) pitched the seventh for his first major-league victory as Toronto won the rubber match of the three-game series.
Loewen, who once pitched for the Orioles before injuries ended that phase of his career, started in centre field. He had two hits, including his first major-league homer against Tommy Hunter (3-4), who took a 5-3 lead into the seventh.
Hunter allowed nine hits and six runs, four earned.
Frank Francisco pitched the ninth for his 14th save, stranding a runner at second after a walk and a stolen base.
Dustin McGowan allowed four runs on three hits and five walks over three innings in his first major-league start since July 8, 2008, which also was against Baltimore.
After coming back from two shoulder surgeries and a long minor-league rehab, McGowan pitched four innings in relief against Boston on Tuesday and that outing was encouraging enough to earn him the start.
McGowan walked two of the first three batters he faced and also had a wild pitch. Vladimir Guerrero's sacrifice fly put the Orioles ahead 1-0.
Toronto countered with two unearned runs in the bottom of the first.
Orioles' first baseman Mark Reynolds made an error on leadoff hitter Mike McCoy's grounder. McCoy went to third on Eric Thames' single before scoring on a Bautista single. Thames came home on a groundout by Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C.
McGowan walked Reynolds with one out in the second before singles by Nolan Reimold, Robert Andino and Matt Angle produced the tying run.
The Blue Jays moved ahead 3-2 in the third after McCoy broke an 0-for-15 drought with a single. He took second on a groundout, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on Adam Lind's single.
The Orioles regained the lead in the fourth. McGowan walked his only two batters in the inning, resulting in Carlos Villanueva taking over. With first open and two out after a groundout advanced the runners, J.J. Hardy was given an intentional walk. Nick Markakis then hit a two-run single.
The Orioles added a run in the sixth against Shawn Camp, who walked Angle to start the inning. Markakis hit a ground-rule double before Guerrero was walked intentionally. Toronto couldn't complete the double play on Matt Wieters' grounder to first, resulting in a run scoring.
Cooper led off the bottom of the seventh with his second homer of the season before Loewen tied it with his solo shot. McCoy followed with a double before Thames singled.
Willie Eyre replaced Hunter and Bautista responded with by driving in his second run of the game.
NOTES: Shortstop Yunel Escobar didn't play Sunday due to a swollen left elbow suffered after being hit by a pitch during Saturday's game . . . Designated-hitter Edwin Encarnacion missed his second straight game after straining his left shoulder in Friday's contest . . . Toronto has Monday off before playing games in Boston on Tuesday and Wednesday.
