TORONTO | Their season series over, the Blue Jays and Orioles won’t face each other again until next year. Angry Toronto pitcher Shaun Marcum is already circling the date on his calendar.
Major league home run leader Jose Bautista was twice hit by pitches, leading to the ejection of Orioles manager Buck Showalter, and Toronto beat Baltimore 5-2 Sunday.
Marcum didn’t have a problem with the first time Bautista was plunked, but was fuming about the second.
“I’m sure it’s something we’ll remember for next year,” Marcum said. “Luckily it didn’t get him in the head or anywhere bad.”
The Blue Jays have won 14 in a row over Baltimore at Rogers Centre, including a 9-0 mark this season. They don’t meet again until June 3, 2011, at Baltimore.
Bautista has hit 52 homers this year, including nine against the Orioles. Rick VandenHurk (0-1) hit Bautista in the third inning and both benches were warned after Shaun Marcum hit Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott to begin the fourth.
Alfredo Simon replaced VandenHurk to begin the fifth. Bautista came up with one out and after throwing two balls, the second of which was high and inside, Simon hit the Toronto star on the left forearm and was ejected by plate umpire Bill Welke.
“It was not on purpose,” Simon said. “I just tried to throw one inside and I got him, but it was not on purpose. He is a friend of mine. There is no reason to hit him.”
Both Bautista and Simon are from the Dominican Republic.
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston didn’t see it Simon’s way, calling it “suspicious” that Showalter brought in a short reliever in the fifth. It was the first time all season the struggling Simon has entered a game before the seventh.
“I don’t like it,” said Gaston, who is retiring at season’s end. “I’m only here for a few more days but I’m not going to put up with it either.”
Showalter came out to argue and was also thrown out, his second ejection of the season.
“I can understand why (Welke) did it and what it looks like,” Showalter said. “There was no intention there, just a wild pitcher. I’d have felt the same way Bill did and I’m sure Cito did. The rules are set up to not let something like that get out of hand. It’s something that we caused from our wildness. It just happened to be against a guy that you’ve got to pitch hard in.”
Bautista was calm afterward, but didn’t appreciate getting hit.
“To me, it’s pretty obvious what they were doing,” Bautista said. “They didn’t care to have a pitcher ejected.”
Marcum said he “absolutely” considered retaliating, but didn’t want to risk a suspension.
“I guess that’s how they do things over there,” Marcum said. “I think we have a little more respect for the game and respect for players on other teams. We’re not going to throw at them on purpose, even if they have 50-plus homers. It is part of baseball, I understand you have to pitch people inside, but to bring a guy in from the bullpen and throw two pitches at him and then get ejected, it seemed like it was very intentional.”
The loss was the fourth straight for the Orioles, their longest skid since Showalter took over as manager in early August.
Toronto went 15-3 overall against the Orioles this year, outscoring them 93-51 and outhomering them 34-8.
Marcum (13-8) pitched seven innings and set a career high for victories, completing this three-game sweep. He allowed one unearned run and struck out seven while improving to 3-0 with an 1.13 ERA in four starts against Baltimore this season.
The righty missed all of 2009 after elbow ligament replacement surgery in Sept. 2008.
“Missing last season obviously was unfortunate,” Marcum said, “but to be back here and have one start left and to finish the whole season without going under the knife again is a pretty good feeling.”
Shawn Camp got two outs in the Baltimore eighth but was lifted after Adam Jones hit an RBI single. Jason Frasor struck out Matt Wieters to end the inning, then finished in the ninth for his fourth save in seven chances.
John McDonald drove in three runs and Adam Lind had three hits for Toronto.
Notes: Blue Jays SS Yunel Escobar was held out of the lineup with McDonald starting in his place. … The Orioles are 98-144 all-time in Toronto. … The Blue Jays failed to homer for the first time in 14 home games.
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