Ubaldo Jimenez pitched seven strong innings, and Baltimore rode a first-inning power surge out to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Monday night at Camden Yards.
It was the first baseball game in Baltimore since an April 29 win over the Chicago White Sox in front of an empty stadium in the wake of riots in the city that arose from protests over the death of an unarmed man in police custody.
The road-weary O’s, coming off three losses in four games in Yankee Stadium to American League East-leading New York, got going early. Manny Machado led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer, and Chris Davis hit a two-run shot later in the inning to put Baltimore up 3-0 after one.
Jimmy Paredes was 2-for-4 at the plate on the night to raise his season batting average to .363.
Jimenez (3-2) gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking two, lowering his season ERA to 2.41.
Zach Britton recorded his seventh save of the season, but not before some self-created drama, giving up a pair of two-out hits in the ninth before getting Jose Bautista to ground out to end it.
Marco Estrada (1-2) took the loss for Toronto, giving up three runs on five hits in five innings of work.
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