TORONTO -- Marco Estrada is still dealing with the sore back that forced him to skip his first All-Star Game. Even so, he was effective enough for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki hit solo home runs in the first inning, Estrada snapped a four-start winless streak and Toronto beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 on Friday night.
Encarnacion reached base three times and scored twice as the Blue Jays won the opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the AL East, cutting Baltimore's division lead to half a game. The Orioles have lost four consecutive.
Estrada (6-4) allowed 3 earned runs and 5 hits in 6 innings.
"I don't feel 100 percent," Estrada said, "but I still feel I can give the team quality innings."
On July 6, one day after he was picked as an All-Star, Estrada was put on the 15-day disabled list. He was activated last Friday and took the loss in a 2-1 defeat to Seattle.
Originally scheduled to start Wednesday against San Diego, Estrada switched places with R.A. Dickey and was pushed back two days to Friday.
"I thought Marco was a little bit off with his command," Manager John Gibbons said. "His changeup was bouncing. They don't normally do that. Maybe the time off affected him."
Estrada said the soreness is worst in the early innings before his back loosens up.
"The more pitches I throw, the better it gets," he said. "It never completely goes away but it's definitely manageable."
Joaquin Benoit worked the seventh, Jason Grilli gave up Manny Machado's solo home run in the eighth and Roberto Osuna finished for his 22nd save.
TIGERS 14, ASTROS 6 Tyler Collins and Justin Upton each hit a three-run home run to lead host Detroit to its fourth consecutive victory, beating Houston.
RAYS 5, YANKEES 1 Jake Odorizzi pitched into the seventh inning, Logan Forsythe (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Corey Dickerson hit home runs in the first, and Tampa Bay beat visiting New York.
INDIANS 5, ATHLETICS 3 Abraham Almonte scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in host Cleveland's four-run seventh inning during the team's comeback victory over Oakland.
RANGERS 8, ROYALS 3 Rougned Odor homered twice, A.J. Griffin pitched into the sixth inning and Texas beat visiting Kansas City.
TWINS 2, WHITE SOX 1 (12) Pinch-hitter Joe Mauer drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give host Minnesota a victory over Chicago.
BLUE JAYS 6, ORIOLES 5 Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki hit solo home runs in the first inning, Marco Estrada snapped a four-start winless streak and Toronto beat Baltimore. Encarnacion reached base three times and scored twice to help the Blue Jays win the opener of a three-game series between the top two teams in the AL East, cutting Baltimore’s division lead to a half-game. The Orioles have lost four straight.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
ROCKIES 6, METS 1 Tyler Chatwood kept winning on the road, Carlos Gonzalez homered and drove in four runs, and Colorado defeated New York for its fourth consecutive victory.
BRAVES 2, PHILLIES 1 Tyrell Jenkins earned his first career victory, pitching six innings and helping Atlanta beat visiting Philadelphia.
BREWERS 3, PIRATES 1 Junior Guerra limited Pittsburgh to four hits over 82/3 strong innings, Chris Carter hit a two-run home run and host Milwaukee beat the Pirates.
INTERLEAGUE
CUBS 12, MARINERS 1 Jon Lester recovered from a rut of bad starts, pitching six shutout innings that led Chicago over Seattle for its third consecutive victory. Jason Heyward and David Ross homered as the Cubs improved to 9-5 since the All-Star break following a 1-9 slump. Seattle lost in its first trip to Wrigley Field since 2007. Lester gave up 4 hits, struck out 7 and walked 2. He was already done when there was a 74-minute rain delay in the seventh. Mike Montgomery, traded last week from Seattle to the Cubs, pitched the final two innings. He gave up a single to Shawn O'Malley in the ninth for the Mariners' run. Hisashi Iwakuma (11-7) had won his last five starts, but gave up 5 runs and 8 hits in 3 innings.
Sports on 07/30/2016