Nathan Lukes’ homer the difference as Blue Jays rally to defeat Orioles

Nathan Lukes capped a five-run seventh inning with a three-run, pinch-hit home run to help the Toronto Blue Jays rally past the host Baltimore Orioles and snap a four-game losing streak, winning 9-8 to avoid a series sweep Wednesday afternoon.
Myles Straw homered, drove in three runs and racked up three hits for the Blue Jays, who had dropped three games to the Orioles across the previous two days. Joey Loperfido notched three hits, and Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each added two hits.
Bo Bichette put the Blue Jays ahead with a two-run single in the seventh before Lukes went to the plate three batters later. Lukes delivered his ninth home run of the season for a 9-5 lead.
Mason Fluharty (4-2) struck out three batters in an inning of shutout relief and got the win.
Ryan O’Hearn and Jordan Westburg hit two-run home runs for the Orioles, who couldn’t protect a 5-3 lead after five innings.
Cedric Mullins, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Westburg all had two hits. Yennier Cano (1-6) was charged with all the seventh-inning runs.
The Orioles posted three runs in the seventh to close the score to 9-8 and loaded the bases with one out before Toronto’s Braydon Fisher was called from the bullpen and struck out Cedric Mullins and Ramon Laureano to douse the uprising. Serathony Dominguez pitched a perfect eighth a day after he was traded from Baltimore, and Jeff Hoffman worked the ninth for his 25th save.
The Orioles scored three runs in the first inning, beginning with Adley Rutschman’s sacrifice fly. O’Hearn followed with a two-run homer for his 13th long ball of the season.
Straw’s two-run shot came in the second inning, while Guerrero’s run-scoring single pulled the Blue Jays even in the fifth at 3-3. Westburg hit a go-ahead blast in the bottom of the inning.
Straw’s sixth-inning double cut the gap to 5-4. Toronto’s rally ended when Mullins, the center fielder, robbed Ali Sanchez with a leaping catch at the wall with Straw at second base.
Baltimore starter Dean Kremer gave up three runs in five innings. Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios allowed five runs, with two of those earned, in 4 1/3 innings.
Toronto went 4-4 on an eight-game road trip.