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Hill’s 100th RBI of season leads Jays past Orioles

Blue Jays 6 Orioles 5TORONTO — Aaron Hill’s 100th RBI of the season came at a perfect time for the Blue Jays.
Edwin Encarnacion, Aaron Hill, Jose Bautista
Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Bautista

Blue Jays 6 Orioles 5

TORONTO — Aaron Hill’s 100th RBI of the season came at a perfect time for the Blue Jays.

The second baseman drove in the winning run in the 11th inning before being mobbed by teammates as Toronto rallied for a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

“That’s a great part of baseball, it’s fun seeing everybody running out of the dugout coming to get you, “ Hill said. “That’s what you play for. Any time you help the team be on top, it’s fun.

“It’s nice to get (100 RBIs) over with so I can just play. It wasn’t that big of a deal for me, it was just one more. But now everyone can stop talking about it.”

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston was glad Hill delivered in dramatic fashion.

“There’s nothing like a game-winning RBI to get your 100th,” Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “It’s great for him.”

Hill, who added his 33rd homer of the season in the third inning, is the first Toronto second baseman to reach the 100-RBI plateau in franchise history.

Edwin Encarnacion was the other offensive hero for the Blue Jays, belting a pair of homers and finishing with three RBIs in front of another sparse crowd of 11,869 at the Rogers Centre.

“He did real well,” Gaston said of Encarnacion hitting third in the lineup for the first time as a Blue Jay. “He’s getting a little bit more comfortable here.”

Brian Roberts had three hits and two runs batted in for the Orioles, who have lost six straight.

Dennis Sarfate (0-1) walked Jose Bautista to start the bottom of the 11th. Hill, who homered in the third inning, followed with a double to the gap in right-centre field, and Bautista scored without a throw.

Reliever Shawn Camp (2-6) pitched one inning to get the win.

After falling behind 5-2 through seven innings, the Jays rallied with two runs in the eighth inning and added another in the ninth to force extra innings.

Pinch-hitter Adam Lind hit an infield single that bounced off Baltimore closer Jim Johnson with one out to start the ninth-inning rally. Travis Snider and John McDonald singled to load the bases, and Johnson forced in a run by hitting Jose Bautista in the arm.

Johnson followed by striking out Hill and Encarnacion to send the game to extra innings.

Toronto left-hander Brian Tallet lasted 6 1-3 innings on Tuesday, giving up 11 hits and five runs.

“I take my hat off to him, said Gaston. “He went out there and gave us what he had. And I’m sure pretty sure he probably wasn’t 100 per cent. He’s done everything I’ve asked him.”

Orioles left-hander Mark Hendrickson, a former Blue Jay, pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits, including home runs in the third on consecutive pitches to Hill and Encarnacion in the third.

Hendrickson was making his second start after 42 consecutive relief appearances. He has lost five decisions in a row as a starter since beating Tampa Bay in his first start of the season April 10.

Michael Aubrey led off the third with a double and took third on a single by Cesar Izturis. Roberts singled to score Aubrey, but was thrown out trying for a double as Izturis took third. Felix Pie added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

After Hill and Encarnacion went back-to-back to tie the game, the Orioles regained the lead in the sixth. Pie opened the inning with an infield single to short and he scored on a double by Matt Wieters. Ty Wigginton’s two-out single increased the lead to 4-2.

Tallet’s start was over when Roberts golfed a double over first base to score Aubrey, who led off with a double and took third on a ground out by Izturis.

Encarnacion hit his second home run of the game and sixth of the season in the eighth with one out after Hill was hit by a pitch from Danys Baez.