Jose Bautista hits two homers, Vernon Wells also connects as Blue Jays beat Orioles 6-4

Bautista homers twice, Blue Jays beat Orioles 6-4

TORONTO — Jose Bautista hit two home runs, increasing his major league-leading total to 52, Vernon Wells also went deep and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Friday night.

The Blue Jays have won 12 straight over the Orioles in Toronto and 21 of the past 23 meetings. They’re 13-3 against Baltimore this season, outscoring the Orioles 83-44 and outhomering them 29-7.

Left-hander Brett Cecil (14-7) gave up three runs in 6 1-3 innings for the win, improving to 3-0 in four career starts against the Orioles.

Shawn Camp got two outs and Jason Frasor worked an inning, but closer Kevin Gregg was lifted after giving up an RBI double to pinch-hitter Corey Patterson then falling behind 2-0 to pinch-hitter Matt Wieters. Jesse Carlson came on and got Wieters to fly out for his first save of the season and third of his career.

It was the eighth multihomer game of the season for Bautista, who went 2 for 2 with three RBIs and a pair of walks. Bautista has walked 98 times this season, second in the AL to Oakland’s Daric Barton.

The Blue Jays lead the majors with 237 home runs, including a major league-high 136 at home, the most in team history. Toronto connected 134 times at home in 2000, hitting a team-record 244.

Bautista, who became the 26th player in baseball history to reach the 50-homer mark with a game-winning blast against Seattle on Wednesday, added to his total with a solo drive in the first.

Wells hit a two-run drive in the fourth, his 30th, before Bautista connected again in the sixth, a two-run shot that landed in the second deck in left.

Wells and Bautista have combined for 82 home runs this season, more than any other pair of teammates in the majors.

All three homers came off Baltimore right-hander Chris Tillman (1-5), who allowed five runs and four hits in six innings. Tillman, who is winless in five starts, walked one and struck out three.

Cecil matched a career high by allowing 11 hits. He walked none and struck out four.

Orioles infielder Brandon Snyder canceled Bautista’s first homer with an RBI double in the second, but Baltimore didn’t score again until the sixth, chasing Cecil one out after back-to-back doubles from Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis made it 5-2.

Camp came on and gave up a single to Ty Wigginton and got pinch-hitter Luke Scott to fly out but Nolan Reimold hit an RBI single. Camp got out of it by fanning Craig Tatum.

After Matt Albers loaded the bases with a single and two walks in the eighth, Mark Hendrickson came on and walked Lyle Overbay to make it 6-3.

Markakis and Wigginton each had three hits for the Orioles, who outhit Toronto 16-5.

NOTES: Wells is the fourth Blue Jays player to record at least three 30-homer seasons, joining Joe Carter, Carlos Delgado and Fred McGriff … Orioles RHP Rick VandenHurk is expected to come out of the bullpen to start Sunday’s series finale. … Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder is the only NL player to have walked more times than Bautista. … Toronto SS John McDonald celebrated his 36th birthday.