BALTIMORE—On Tuesday, the big news was the four trades made by the Orioles. The news that Jackson Holliday was returning for his second stint with the Orioles was nearly overlooked.
That changed on Wednesday. Holliday hit his first home run, a grand slam, in the fifth inning as the Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-4, before 25,528 at Camden Yards.
Jordan Westburg was hit by a pitch on his right hand immediately before Holliday’s home run and left the game after the inning. Manager Brandon Hyde said Westburg has a right hand fracture and there’s no timetable for this return.
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Ramón Urías replaced Westburg at third base on Wednesday.
Holliday became the third Oriole to hit a grand slam as their first home run, and his blast, which landed on Eutaw Street, traveled 439 feet. The spot where it landed was marked, and fans immediately used their cell phones to take pictures of the spot.
Holliday was 1-for-5, grounding out twice, flying to left and striking out. He barely missed a three-run homer to left on his at-bat after the grand slam. He also made a nifty stop in the ninth to start a game-ending double play.
Oriole starter Grayson Rodrguez (13-4) allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits in six innings, walking three and striking out eight.
Paolo Espino (0-1) allowed four runs in four innings for Toronto (50-59)
Ryan Mountcastle had a two-run triple in the first. Ryan O’Hearn’s sacrifice fly scored Gunnar Henderson, who tripled in the third. Anthony Santander’s RBI single in the fifth gave the Orioles (65-54) a 903 lead.
Henderson, who committed two errors at shortstop and has seven in his past seven games, drove in the Orioles’ 10th run with a single in the seventh.