Benches clear in Baltimore as Orioles get back at Blue Jays

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BALTIMORE — You had to figure the Orioles weren’t about to go down without a fight, especially with the still fresh hangover of a humiliating sweep in a double header the previous day.

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And near fight it was in a 9-6 win over the Blue Jays on an ill-tempered Tuesday night at Camden Yards, a testy affair that saw the benches clear as simmering anger boiled over.

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In the skirmish that unfolded as the game entered the seventh-inning stretch, an enraged Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez had his jersey ripped off as he had to be physically restrained from going after Orioles pitcher Bryan Baker.

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So is anyone ready for Alek Manoah’s start on Wednesday as the Orioles attempt to gain a split in the critical four-game series?

The near donnybrook happened as the top of the seventh ended and Baker, a one-time Jays pitcher, yelled and gestured repeatedly at the Toronto dugout after the third out was recorded.

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That prompted a charge from an infuriated group of Jays, led by Hernandez and Vlad Guerrero Jr., who both had to be physically restrained from getting at Baker and other Orioles.

The incident was the latest sign of the Orioles-Jays rivalry heating up, one in which the stakes have been elevated considerably since the O’s are chasing Toronto for the third and final American League wildcard spot.

With the win on Tuesday, Baltimore moved back to within 3.5 games of the Jays. Things figure to be fired-up the rest of the way, as well, as the teams meet seven more times, including a three-game series to end the regular season here Oct. 3-5.

Tempers didn’t exactly cool after the benches emptied, either.

Jays manager John Schneider, who had become increasingly agitated with the shoddy work of home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson all night, was tossed in the bottom of the seventh after the O’s Ryan Mountcastle went to a 3-0 count.

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Schneider got his money’s worth for the tossing as well, giving Nelson (who had warned both benches prior to the inning) an  earful while repeatedly pointing at him with his right hand.

The Orioles were certainly frustrated entering Tuesday’s game, after dropping both ends of Monday’s double dip. At risk of seeing their pursuit of a wildcard spot disappear, emotions were definitely on high in a game that took almost four hours to play and saw the O’s improve heir season record vs. the Jays to 7-5.

TURD OF A THIRD

Trouble began for the Jays in the third inning when starter Mitch White walked the No. 8 and 9 hitters in the O’s lineup, Roughed Odor and Jorge Mateo. Next up was a pitch to the hand of Cedric Mullins and that free pass loaded the bases.

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By the time the inning was over, the Orioles had put up five runs, all of them charged to White, who only lasted 2.1 innings.

It was the third consecutive poor outing for White, who was acquired at the trade deadline as a replacement for struggling Yusei Kikuchi in the fifth spot in the Jays rotation.

It hasn’t been pretty, either, as White has allowed 16 runs over this three starts, while only pitching a combined 12 innings.

BO SHOW

Jays shortstop Bo Bichette picked up where left off on his sizzling Labour Day, launching his fourth homer in two games, a third-inning shot that hit the top of the wall in right field.

It continued the torrid pace for Bichette, who followed Tuesday’s homer with a double in his next at-bat and two more singles after that.

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“He’s about as locked in as I’ve seen him in terms of being task-oriented and executing a plan,” Schneider said of Bichette. “It’s a very locked-in player on a lot of different levels.”

GAME ON

The Jays looked like they were headed for another strong start, scoring a run in the second on an RBI single from Matt Chapman that brought Alejandro Kirk home … The visitors then added two more in the third on Bichette’s 22nd homer of the season and pulled to within a run again in the fifth when a Chapman double brought home Bichette … The eventual winning run came after Kikuchi came in with one out in the sixth, allowing a Cedric Mullins single to score Mateo … There will be some serious second guessing on the move to Kikuchi in a one-run game, especially after the reliever that preceded him, Anthony Bass, retired the four batters he faced on seven pitches … Any serious chances of a late Jays rally were squelched when the Orioles added three runs in the eighth, though they got one across when Alejandro Kirk’s fourth hit of the night drove in Bichette … The Jays offence continued to bang out hits, counting 13 on the night and 38 combined in the first three games of the series.