Encarnacion-Strand and Gibson complete Orioles' sweep of Blue Jays

Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove in three runs and Trey Gibson pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings as Baltimore finished a Wednesday doubleheader sweep of Toronto. The Orioles won the nightcap 4-2, their second victory by that score in their final home games of the regular season.

The second game had a different shape from the opener. Encarnacion-Strand singled home Pete Alonso and Coby Mayo in the first inning, then scored on Colton Cowser's double. He homered in the fourth for Baltimore's fourth run. The Orioles had only four hits, but those early swings supplied enough support for Gibson. MLB's official video shows the rookie's outing and the key first-inning offense.

Gibson allowed three hits and struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings. Toronto did not score until the ninth, when Davis Schneider hit a two-run homer with Sean Keys aboard. By then, Baltimore's four-run cushion had lasted eight innings, and the late swing did not bring the tying run across.

The Associated Press reported that the sweep kept Baltimore's slim playoff hopes alive, while Game 1 had already ended Toronto's chance. The Baltimore Banner described Gibson's start as the best of his young career. The official box score puts the achievement in concrete terms: 20 outs, no runs and seven strikeouts in his ninth big-league start.

The two wins shared a final score but had separate turning points. Pete Alonso's fifth-inning homer decided the afternoon game; Encarnacion-Strand's three RBIs and Gibson's scoreless start controlled the nightcap. Baltimore left its home schedule with a sweep and moved to 78-81.