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Pete Alonso’s second home run of the game and 40th of the season lifted the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-3 comeback victory against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series Monday night.

Alonso’s two-run shot with two outs in the eighth inning gave Baltimore its first lead of the game.

The Orioles (76-81) are on the verge of playoff elimination in the American League wild-card chase, but the result extended their postseason hopes. It was a blow to the Blue Jays (77-80), who are pursuing the same prize.

The White Sox (80-76) lead the Astros (77-79) by three games, Toronto by 3 1/2 games and Baltimore by 4 1/2 games in the race for the last wild-card spot. Chicago and Houston each have six games left in the regular season, while the Blue Jays and Orioles each have five to go.

Alonso also homered in the first inning and Gunnar Henderson went deep in the sixth inning as the Orioles ended a three-game losing streak. Henderson tripled among his three hits, coming up a double shy of the cycle.

Six Toronto pitchers combined on a six-hitter. Tyler Rogers (2-3) gave up the decisive home run. George Springer had two singles and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage worked just two innings in his first big-league outing since Aug. 4. He served up with Alonso’s first homer of the night but no other baserunners. Yesavage had been sidelined due to left knee surgery.

Orioles starter Shane Baz logged 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Yennier Cano (4-3) worked 1 1/3 shutout innings, and Rico Garcia pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save.

Following a pregame weather delay, the Blue Jays struck for three first-inning runs. Nathan Lukes drove in the first run with a single. Springer’s single made it 2-0, and Sean Keys followed with a sacrifice fly.

Alonso countered with a solo homer with one out in bottom of the first, snapping a miserable streak for the Orioles. They entered the game having not scored in their previous 19 innings — all against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Baltimore didn’t have another hit until the fourth inning when Henderson tripled with one out, but that didn’t result in a run.

–Field Level Media

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