Berríos takes 1st career loss vs. O's to wrap frustrating season series

BALTIMORE -- José Berríos' spell over the Orioles came to an end on Thursday night.

Coming into the Blue Jays' 5-3 loss in the series finale at Camden Yards, the right-hander had a 10-0 record with a 2.66 ERA in 13 career starts against Baltimore. His last win came in the opponents' home -- a 7 2/3-inning outing in which Berríos allowed no runs and three hits to improve his ERA to 2.02 over seven starts at the O's ballpark.

But after a 70-minute rain delay on Thursday evening, the Orioles finally got to Berríos, launching a pair of two-run homers to take the finale and the set. The loss capped off the season series between the two American League East rivals, which ended at 10-3 in Baltimore's favor.

The Blue Jays currently trail the Astros and the Mariners by 1 1/2 games for the final AL Wild Card spot. They hold the tiebreaker advantage over Houston after taking the season series, but Seattle would win a tiebreaker with Toronto based on intra-league record.

"Last time I was here, I started hearing about that number," Berríos said of his previous 10-0 mark against the O's. "These past three games I have been hearing about that, media tell me, but I don't have that on my mind [or] bring it to the mound. We can't lay down. We have to continue doing our thing. Tonight, I tried to do my work but they did better than me."

For three innings, Berríos did his work just fine, retiring all nine batters he faced. But in the fourth, Anthony Santander flipped the script, tying the game at 2-2 with a mammoth two-run homer.

"I was trying to go fastball up and away -- and I did it -- but I think we have to be more above the zone," Berríos said. "He's a great hitter. He got me, but hopefully we'll get another game, another chance, and we'll see how that goes."

In the fifth, Berríos tangled with Cedric Mullins in a 10-pitch at-bat that ended in another two-run homer to push the Orioles' advantage to 4-2. Berríos allowed another run to score on a Gunnar Henderson RBI single, but he regrouped to finish the frame and pitch a clean sixth to keep Toronto's bullpen fresh.

All said, Berríos (9-9) allowed five earned runs on nine hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

"He was really, really good the first three [innings]," manager John Schneider said of Berríos. "[It was] just a couple of four-seamers that weren't exactly where he wanted them for the homer to Santander and a really good at-bat by Mullins. A couple of multiple-run homers, it's tough to come out of."

Those poorly located pitches handed Berríos his second loss in a row and the first in his career against the O's. Still, that 10-0 mark remains impressive. Only two other big league pitchers began their careers with a similar record against Baltimore: Jon Lester (14-0) and Red Faber (12-0).

On the other end of it, the Blue Jays couldn't mount a comeback after the middle innings.

The bats finally got to Orioles starter Kyle Gibson in the top of the fourth, scoring on an RBI fielder’s choice to short by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a long sac fly to center field from George Springer to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead. Brandon Belt hit his second homer in three games, a solo shot in the sixth to cut the deficit to 5-3, but that was all the scoring Toronto could muster.

Trailing by two in the seventh, however, the Blue Jays did have another chance to get closer. With one out, Danny Jansen drilled a double to deep center, but he was thrown out at third base on a perfect throw from Mullins.

"I have been playing devil's advocate with myself since that [play]," Jansen said. "It was a great throw. It was right on the money. I don't think I'm particularly slow. I felt comfortable putting my head down and going, but at the same time, my run doesn't really matter that much, obviously.

"I'm still on base and a guy could hit a two-run homer or something. [I keep] going back and forth with myself internally, but at the end of the day, I was trying to get to third base with less than two outs to keep passing the baton."

Toronto now heads home to face the Guardians after a 3-3 road trip between Baltimore and Cincinnati.

"I think after [winning] the first game, you've got to stay consistent with the approach," said Schneider. "It's something we've got to clean up and stay convicted to an approach going forward."