Orioles rout Blue Jays and stay close to Yankees

BALTIMORE -- After losing two straight games to Toronto, the Orioles broke out the big bats.

Baltimore tied a team record with seven home runs to rout the Blue Jays, 12-2, Wednesday night and stay within 11/2 games of the AL East lead.

Chris Davis and Manny Machado each connected twice and the Orioles remained close to the division-leading Yankees, who won, 8-2, in Minnesota.

Nate McLouth hit a leadoff shot in the first inning and Jim Thome and Mark Reynolds also homered.

"Home runs are very unique, and when you do what we did tonight, it's something to be proud of. It's something that doesn't happen a whole lot in the game," Thome said.

Thome's home run was the 612th of his career and the first he's hit at home for the Orioles.

"Up and down the lineup, everyone swung the bat well. It's been fun," Thome said.

Davis finished with a career-high five RBIs to help the Orioles split a four-game series with the last-place Blue Jays.

"I think if you'd have told us a few months ago that we'd be a game-and-a-half out with six games left, I think you'd be pretty happy with that," Davis said.

The Orioles trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth before hitting three home runs.

Thome led off with his third homer since joining the Orioles. With two outs, Machado hit his fifth of the year for a 3-2 Baltimore lead. All of Machado's home runs have come at home, and his drive was the Orioles' 200th homer of the year.

With one out in the fifth, J.P. Arencibia, who went 7-for-9 in the four-game series, doubled and scored on Anthony Gose's single. -- AP