TORONTO _ The unpredictable Orioles came to Rogers Centre with the chance to reclaim the first American League wild-card spot with a strong showing against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays.
Now, following a 5-1 loss to Toronto that exposed all of the Orioles' flaws _ including their first-inning pitching struggles and their recent inability to execute with runners on base _ their opportunities to create their own destiny are disappearing by the day.
A frustrating night in Toronto, where the Orioles have lost six of eight games this season, ended with manager Buck Showalter and first baseman Chris Davis ejected from the game by home plate umpire Will Little.
The Orioles have scored three runs or fewer in nine of their last 10 games.
Just last week, the Orioles went into their four-game home series with the Boston Red Sox with the opportunity to make a run at the division lead, but after being swept by the scalding Red Sox, their hopes of an AL East title disappeared quickly.
Now they're playing for the wild-card game, and they entered their series opener in Toronto just one game back of the Blue Jays for the top wild-card spot. But after Tuesday's loss, the Orioles would need to win Wednesday and Thursday to leave Toronto tied for the first wild-card spot heading into the final series of the regular season.
And with five games left, the Orioles (85-72) are leading a chase for the second AL wild-card spot that again is getting crowded quickly.
Right-hander Kevin Gausman fell behind 2-0 two batters into the first inning after allowing a two-run homer to reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson. The blast came after Gausman issued a leadoff walk to Ezequiel Carrera. Ten of the 27 homers Gausman has allowed this season have come in the first inning.
Gausman allowed multiple homers in back-to-back starts, yielding an opposite-field solo homer to the light-hitting Carrera in the third inning.
The Orioles, who scored their only run on Mark Trumbo's RBI single in the third, stranded nine base runners, including multiple base runners in three innings.
Left fielder Michael Bourn stranded four base runners, including two in scoring position. The Orioles were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
After posting a 0.82 ERA over five starts _ including four scoreless outings _ Gausman has allowed five runs in back-to-back outings.
