BALTIMORE - Adam Jones led off the eighth inning with a tiebreaking homer and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep with their fourth straight victory.
Jones ripped the first pitch from Casey Janssen (1-1) into the first row of the left-field stands, barely eluding the leap of Eric Thames. It was his sixth homer of the season.
Darren Oliver replaced Janssen after Jones' home run and allowed Matt Wieters' single before Chris Davis hit a two-run homer to right-centre.
Darren O'Day (2-0) pitched two perfect innings in relief of Brian Matusz, who might have saved his spot in the rotation with a strong outing. Luis Ayala worked the ninth for his first save.
The Blue Jays have lost three straight and are 1-5 against the Orioles this season.
Baltimore's Ryan Flaherty had two hits and an RBI, the firsts of his major league career.
Drew Hutchison, making his second major league start, held the Orioles to two hits through four innings before Baltimore went ahead 1-0 in the fifth.
Davis worked the right-hander for a leadoff walk and Mark Reynolds lined a single to centre. Davis moved to third on Nick Johnson's fly to right and Flaherty hit a sacrifice fly.
Toronto went ahead in the sixth on an error by Johnson at first base that allowed two runs to score.
Yunel Escobar led off with a single and Jose Bautista drew a one-out walk. One out later, Thames hit a 1-2 pitch from Matusz down the first base line and past Johnson, who missed an attempt to backhand the bouncer, the miscue letting both runners score.
The Orioles tied the game in the sixth, taking advantage of Escobar's error at shortstop.
Nick Markakis doubled and Jones hit a grounder into the hole. Escobar fielded the infield hit but threw wildly to first, allowing Markakis to score the tying run and Jones to advance to second. Luis Perez relieved and got Wieters to ground into a fielder's choice, with Jones erased at third.
Hutchison worked five-plus innings, allowing two runs and six hits.
Matusz, attempting to snap a career-high 12-game losing streak, yielded two runs -- none earned -- and four hits over six innings. He walked two and fanned three.
Notes: Matusz wasn't charged with a run for the first time since Sept. 27, 2010. ... Baltimore's Nolan Reimold singled in the fifth, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He returned after sitting out four games with neck spasms. ... Orioles manager Buck Showalter said RHP Jim Johnson, who has been hospitalized for treatment of a bacterial infection, could be released as soon as Friday morning. Showalter would not commit to how quickly Johnson will resume his role as closer. ... RHP Dustin McGowan, on the 15-day disabled list while recovering from a foot injury, experienced right shoulder problems while long tossing and will be shut down for two weeks, Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. An MRI revealed inflammation. ... Nick Johnson went 0 for 3 and is 0 for 26 to start his Orioles career. That breaks Ron Hansen's record for the longest hitless streak by a position player at the start of his Orioles career. Hansen went 0 for 25 from April 1958-April 1960. ... Toronto starting pitchers have gone at least five innings in 21 straight games dating to last Sept. 27.
