BALTIMORE — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stood at second base, clenched his fists and let out a roar that expelled what’s seemed like weeks of frustration.
The struggling superstar had just laced a double into left field that scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the Toronto Blue Jays’ dramatic, comeback 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
A 110.1-m.p.h. missile off a Yennier Cano fastball in the eighth inning was the type of hit that Guerrero Jr. had been searching for. It was easily his most important contribution in some time.
With the win, the 29-29 Blue Jays improved to .500 for the first time since April 4.
Guerrero Jr. wasn’t alone in his heroics. The Blue Jays trailed 5-0 entering the seventh inning before a barrage of big hits picked the team up off the mat.
Guerrero Jr. led off that frame with a single and Kazuma Okamoto followed with a two-run homer off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers. Then, Daulton Varsho doubled and was cashed in by Charles McAdoo’s two-run, opposite-field shot.
The homer was McAdoo’s first hit in what was his major-league debut.
Adam Macko started for the Blue Jays during the club’s first of two bullpen games in three days, with the next coming Sunday. Macko pitched into the second inning but was relieved by right-hander Austin Voth, who surrendered three homers and four walks to the Orioles, resulting in a 5-0 lead.
The Blue Jays were down their three best relievers on Friday night, with Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman and Tyler Rogers each pitching the past two days. That left an opportunity for other relievers to step up and Mason Fluharty and Braydon Fisher answered the call.
Fluharty shut down the Orioles in the eighth inning while Fisher tossed a scoreless ninth to collect the first save of his major-league career.