BALTIMORE _ These are desperate hours for the Orioles, so when Matt Wieters launched a tie-breaking two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the crowd of 16,083 exploded with a huge ovation.
Or was it just a big sigh of relief?
The Orioles needed something to turn after the Toronto Blue Jays had rallied from a two-run deficit and threatened to drop the O's five games out of first place in the American League East. Wieters' 12th home run of the season was just the thing to carry them a 5-3 victory that evened the three-game series at Camden Yards.
This time, the Orioles did not waste a solid pitching performance from one of the three veterans scheduled to face the big-swinging Blue Jays lineup. Wade Miley had delivered a quality start on Monday, but did not get any run-support. Ubaldo Jimenez did the same on Tuesday, and this time it paid off.
Jimenez had pitched well in a duel with Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer last week, only to get the loss for giving up just one run. He carried a similar outing deep into the game Tuesday night, giving up just three hits through six innings, but he could not hold the two-run lead that Steve Pearce and Manny Machado provide with fifth-inning home runs off 17-game-winner J.A. Happ.
He allowed a two-run homer to Michael Saunders to tie the game at 3, and would again end up with nothing to show for his second straight quality start.
Still, he gave the Orioles effective innings when they needed them the most, even if he stayed at the party a bit too long.
So the Orioles had to go back to work, and they did. Brad Brach (8-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to keep the game tied and Jonathan Schoop drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the eighth to bring Wieters to the plate.
Wieters saw just one pitch from Jays reliever Jason Grilli and parked it on the flag court to help pull the Orioles back to within three games of first place.
Zach Britton came on to pitch a scoreless ninth to record his league-leading 39th save in as many opportunities.
