TORONTO — Cedric Mullins got five hits, Austin Hays drove in the decisive run in the 11th inning and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Mullins had three RBIs and Hays reached base four times for the Orioles, who scored five runs in the 11th to win for the fifth time in six games and secure their third sweep of 2023.
“This was huge,” Mullins said. “We had a couple of battles in this series and we were able to come out on top. It’s a huge confidence boost going into New York.”
It was Baltimore’s first three-game sweep in Toronto since April 2005. The Orioles hadn’t swept an AL East opponent in a three-game series since doing it at Boston in early April 2021.
“The AL East is a difficult division,” Mullins said. “For us to pull a sweep off today just kind of shows where we are as a team.”
Mullins singled, stole second and scored in the third. He singled in the fifth and doubled in the seventh. He hit an RBI single in the 10th and then drove in two runs with a double in the 11th.
“He’s just playing an unbelievable brand of baseball right now, on both sides,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
Baltimore took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th when Mullins hit a first-pitch single off Nate Pearson to score automatic runner Jorge Mateo from second base.
Toronto tied it in the bottom half against Austin Voth when Whit Merrifield’s single brought home pinch-runner Daulton Varsho.
Right-hander Mike Baumann (3-0) replaced Voth and immediately picked off Merrifield at first base.
Hays broke the tie with a one-out single off Yimi Garcia (1-2) in the 11th, and pinch-hitter Terrin Vavra added a two-run single for the Orioles.
Those who remained in the sellout crowd of 41,643 booed after Mullins chased Garcia with a two-run double.
Toronto’s Matt Chapman hit a solo home run and had two RBIs but the struggling Blue Jays lost for the sixth time in their past seven.
“The effort is there, the results are not,” manager John Schneider said. “You hate going through stretches like this.”
Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier made the defensive play of the game, a sensational leaping catch at the wall in left-center to retire Gunnar Henderson for the first out of the fourth.
Chapman opened the scoring with a leadoff drive in the second, his sixth. The homer was his first since April 18 at Houston.
Baltimore took the lead with two runs in the third but Toronto tied it in the seventh when Chapman hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off Mychal Givens.
Givens was making his first appearance of the season after being activated off the injured list before the game. The right-hander struck out Merrifield to keep it tied.
Facing his former team for the third time, Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman allowed two runs and six hits in eight innings. Gausman threw a season-high 115 pitches. He walked two and struck out four.
Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer allowed one run and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
Cionel Perez replaced Kremer after Alejandro’s Kirk’s one-out single put runners at first and second in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Danny Jansen walked to load the bases but Perez got Kiermaier to ground into a double play, one of three for the Orioles.
“We played really well defensively today,” Hyde said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Baltimore activated Givens (left knee) off the 15-day injured list and optioned LHP Cole Irvin to Triple-A Norfolk.
TOP TRAVELERS
Baltimore is 16-8 away from home, the best road record in the AL.
MILESTONE MOMENT
Toronto outfielder Nathan Lukes got his first major league hit in the fourth, a single to center off Kremer.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish (2-1, 3.90 ERA) starts Tuesday night as Baltimore heads to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees. RHP Gerrit Cole (5-0, 2.01) pitches for New York.
Blue Jays: RHP Chris Bassitt (5-2, 3.05) starts Monday as Toronto begins a four-game series at Tampa Bay. The Rays had not announced a starter.
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