BALTIMORE -- In his second start since returning from the COVID-related IL, Steven Matz has yet to return to his early-season form. For the third time in 15 starts, the lefty allowed multiple homers in the 7-5 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday night at Camden Yards.

After Matz lasted 2 2/3 inning in his shortest outing of the year on Wednesday, the Blue Jays needed their starter to give them some depth. Yes, he tossed four-plus innings, but when he took the mound in the fifth Toronto fell even further behind.

“Definitely felt a lot better today,” Matz said. “I felt like I had my stuff back -- actually I felt a little better as the game went on. Even going into the fifth, I still felt pretty sharp. Just that one slider to start off the at-bat, it was a little flat to [Cedric] Mullins. Unfortunately, just couldn't put up some zeros for the team today.”

Of the 12 homers the lefty has allowed this season, four have come off his slider, including the one to Mullins. It’s not a pitch that Matz throws often -- just 12% of the time. He was hoping to catch Baltimore hitters off guard by using his slider, but Mullins was able to read the pitch perfectly.

“Just one bad one, and Mullins made me pay,” Matz said. “He's their best hitter, and when you hang sliders to the team's best hitter, they're going to make you pay, and that's what he did.”

Matz allowed six hits and two two-run homers -- one to Pedro Severino in the fourth inning and that one to Mullins in the fifth. The Blue Jays were forced to turn to their ‘pen for the final 12 outs, down three runs to the Orioles in the bottom of the fifth frame.

Manager Charlie Montoyo was encouraged by Matz’s start, having seen improvement from his last outing. However, Montoyo did not say whether or not the left-handed pitcher would continue to be held to a pitch count as he was on Tuesday. Keeping the starter to 70-75 pitches means the bullpen gets called upon early, which has been a weakness for Toronto.

That trend continued on Tuesday when Trent Thornton, in his first appearance since Wednesday, allowed the third two-run homer of the game -- a 431-foot blast to right field from Anthony Santander.

“Command,” said Montoyo when asked what he noticed was off with Thornton and the rest of the bullpen. “That goes for a lot of guys out of the bullpen who are struggling because of their commands. Doesn't matter who you're facing, you're going to be in trouble. That’s been Trent's struggle right now.”

It was a game of home runs, as Randal Grichuk smacked a solo homer in the top of the seventh, his 54th off of an American League East opponent since joining the Blue Jays in 2018 -- the most in the Majors.

The Blue Jays' second homer came off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as he smacked his 28th of the season hoping to start an eighth-inning rally.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit Toronto's third and final home run of the game, a two-run shot in the top of the ninth. However, it wasn’t enough to put the Blue Jays on top, dropping their third game to the Orioles this season.