BALTIMORE _ Few, if any, would have counted Hanser Alberto and Stevie Wilkerson as the Orioles' spark plugs when this forsaken season began.
Yet their absence in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, owed to each fouling a ball off his leg the previous night, was conspicuous as the Orioles were flat with their bats early and didn't support an improved effort from Aaron Brooks before an announced crowd of 16,331 fans at Camden Yards.
Brooks, to be fair, put them in an early hole when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Freddy Galvis had run-scoring hits in a 30-pitch first inning. Only a home run by Galvis in the fourth inning added to the Orioles' deficit with Brooks (2-5) on the mound.
Early results aside, Orioles rookie Dillon Tate making a case for himself in big league bullpen �
For the first time in five starts for the Orioles (36-73), Brooks pitched into the sixth inning, when Gabriel Ynoa allowed a home run to Brandon Drury.
By the end of the sixth, the Orioles had managed just four hits _ two apiece by Anthony Santander and Richie Martin. Chris Davis broke the Orioles' drought with a two-run home run in the seventh, but Paul Fry allowed a run in the ninth to account for the final margin after Mychal Givens pitched a perfect eighth.
Trey Mancini grounded into a fielder's choice with two on and two out to end the game.
Davis' ninth home run of the season was his 250th since joining the Orioles, with his 1,110 games in Baltimore surpassing Eddie Murray as the fastest player in team history to reach that threshold with the franchise.
After nearly going hitless on the three-city western swing that preceded this homestand, Davis has hits in three straight games.
The speedy rookie Martin took advantage of his best trait yet again Friday with two infield singles, his 13th and 14th such hits of his season. In something of a balanced offensive attack, he has 14 infield singles with 15 that went to the outfield and 13 extra-base this, along with 13 walks.
Martin's .193 batting average is his highest of the season, though Alberto came off the bench to hit for him in the ninth inning. Alberto flew out to left field.
