TORONTO (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run home run in his return to the lineup, Ryan McKenna had his first three-hit game and an RBI, and the surging Baltimore Orioles improved to 9-4 in August by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 Monday night.
“Really happy with how we played tonight,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said.
Baltimore (60-55) reached 60 wins in a season for the first time since going 75-87 in 2017. The Orioles didn’t win more than 54 games in any of the past three full seasons. Baltimore is fourth in the race for one of three AL wild-card spots.
Mountcastle sat out Sunday’s loss at Tampa Bay after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch Saturday. He reached base three times Monday, walking in the first and fifth innings and homering off Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the third.
“It was great to see him back in the lineup today,” Hyde said.
Mountcastle left without speaking to reporters.
Five of Mountcastle’s 16 home runs this season have come against the Blue Jays. He has 12 home runs and 25 RBI against Toronto since the start of 2021. He also homered off Kikuchi in his last start, a week ago in Baltimore.
“He’s a great player, a great hitter, especially in Toronto,” Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish said. “Any time he gets up to bat, he can do damage.”
Bradish allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings and Bryan Baker (4-3) worked 1 1/3 innings for the win.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 24th home run as the struggling Blue Jays (61-53) lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
Toronto outfielder George Springer was activated off the injured list after missing eight games because of a sore right elbow. The Blue Jays went 2-6 without him.
Springer led off and started at designated hitter Monday, going 2…