Bundy solid through seven, Mancini notches career high as Orioles top Blue Jays

“Going 15 innings (on Monday) and then two hours before the game your starter goes out and we have to figure out how to cover nine innings. A lot of guys took the ball and they didn’t have to. … That’s how we covered nine innings today.”

Montoyo didn’t have an update on Kay immediately after the game but said he hoped he hadn’t seen the last of the rookie this season.

“Hopefully he gets to pitch again,” Montoyo said of Kay, who was acquired by Toronto in the July trade that sent Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets and made his MLB debut earlier this month.

“If (his season is over) I liked what I saw. I saw a bulldog on the mound, pitches inside, throws 94, 95, good breaking pitches, I liked everything I saw from Kay. Hopefully we’ll get to see him again.”

Bundy was the story of the game for Baltimore, pitching seven solid innings and allowing just two runs and three hits. Trey Mancini led the offence with a career-high five hits, including a pair of doubles and an RBI.

Dwight Smith Jr., Austin Wynns and DJ Stewart homered for Baltimore (52-106), which scored three runs apiece in the first, sixth and eighth innings.

Bundy (7-14) allowed only hit through the first five innings, a third-inning home run from Derek Fisher. He also struck out six and walked two.

“He had a lead and he threw strikes, he did a good job today,” Montoyo said of Bundy. “You gotta give him credit. And their offence also, the last two nights they swung the bat pretty good.

“But Bundy, he threw strikes with the lead and that’s what you need to do when you have a lead and he did a good job of that.”

Smith Jr., a former Blue Jay, said Bundy’s performance was just what the Orioles needed after Monday night.

“It was great. Bundy’s been good for us all year,” he said. “We know we can count on him to be a bulldog on the mound for us.”

Recently acquired Breyvic Valera drove in a run for the Blue Jays (64-94). Reese McGuire and Rowdy Tellez chipped in with ninth-inning RBI’s.

Thomas Pannone (3-6) started for Toronto, allowing three runs on four hits through just one inning. And the Blue Jays used seven pitchers from there a night after deploying 10 in a five-hour 21-minute game, their longest of the season.

Pannone, Buddy Boshers, Ryan Tepera, Justin Shafer and Sam Gaviglio saw action on back-to-back nights.

Gaviglio, five innings away from reaching 100 on the season, allowed three runs Tuesday in 2/3 of an inning.

Montoyo said getting him to that milestone isn’t necessarily a goal.

“If he’s ready to pitch we’ll pitch him because we’re trying to win games and he’s been that good,” he said. “Sammy’s done everything for us and he’s been great.”

Fisher’s homer pulled Toronto within two runs at 3-1 in the bottom of the third, temporarily igniting the small crowd of 12,625, but Smith responded in the fourth with a solo shot off Wilmer Font to restore Baltimore’s three-run cushion.

Smith, who was 3 for 4 on the night, and the homer was his first against his former team.

“It’s nice to come back and play here, I started my career here,” Smith said. “Just to have (a good game) against Toronto, I try not to get too hyped about it but it was a moment I’m going to cherish for sure.”

Baltimore, which outhit the Blue Jays 15-6, improved to 8-10 against Toronto this season.

The teams wrap up their season series Wednesday night.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2019.

Melissa Couto, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Bundy solid through seven, Mancini notches career high as Orioles top Blue Jays

What's Happening