Thornton's strong return, 5 HRs lift Blue Jays

BALTIMORE -- If Trent Thornton has the turnaround he showed that he could be capable of in Thursday night’s 8-2 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, it can, in part, be thanks to a single conversation and a single pitch.

While at the Blue Jays’ spring facilities rehabbing from right elbow inflammation in recent weeks, Thornton ran into injured right-hander Clay Buchholz. They bounced a wide array ideas off each other, beginning with life, extending to baseball and surrounding around pitching.

“I’ve asked him many questions about baseball and life in general,” Thornton said. “And he’s been a huge help for me.

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“What he was telling me was to be loose, think loose and your velocity is going to be there, and you’re going to locate better. For me that was the one thing I was thinking all day [Thursday]. One, just get ahead of hitters, but just feel loose. Don't tense up at all. For the most part, I felt pretty good with that plan.”

On Thursday, the plan came to fruition. Backed by five home runs -- including two from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- Thornton, who just came off the injured list to make this start, allowed just one run and five hits across six innings in his first outing since July 15. All just days after the Blue Jays dealt Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, making Thornton the owner of the most starts for Toronto pitchers this season.

“He pitched today,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He wasn’t trying to strike out people. He had command of all his pitches today.”

Thornton says he was trying to do too much in the first half of this season, where he pitched to a 5.45 ERA in 21 starts. He was trying to blow the ball past guys -- “Bearing back and throwing heat,” as he put it. And who could blame a rookie trying to make his mark in his first year with a new organization.

But along the way, he was sacrificing his steadfast pitch: the cutter.

Thornton threw 20 cutters against the Orioles. He struck out just one batter -- the least he’s whiffed in a start longer than three innings -- induced just six swings-and-misses (four via the cutter) and made his money via soft contact. Only three O’s put balls in play with an exit velocity over 95 mph, per Statcast. All were turned into outs, including an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the third.

“When I was with the Astros that [cutter] was part of my bread and butter, and I think a little bit this year I’ve kind of gotten away from it,” Thornton said. “It worked for a reason, and if I can get back to what got me here and what’s worked for me, that thought process, for me, seems a little easier.”

“It’s been kind of a wild card for him,” added catcher Danny Jansen. “It’s been a good pitch when he’s got it on. It opens up away when you go into lefties with it, you can back door it, you can front hip it to a righty, perhaps. It’s a good pitch. It has a lot of ways to open up other stuff. It was on tonight.”

That third inning was the only trouble for Thornton as he loaded the bases with none out before bouncing back for a popup and a crucial double play, which not only helped him evade any serious damage, but kept his pitch count to only 15 that inning and 87 across his six innings.

“I’m typically not a guy that gets a lot of ground balls and double plays,” Thornton said, “and I got one when it counted.”

Thornton’s emergence came in tune with a continued one from the offense, which has produced at least seven runs in five of the past six games.

Guerrero Jr. led the charge. His first homer, a two-run shot in the second, traveled a projected 405 feet and his second, a solo blast in the sixth, went 450. Randal Grichuk, who left the game in the ninth after fouling a ball off his face, Jansen and Billy McKinney also hit homers.