Blue Jays get a much needed pitching gem from Drew Hutchison in win over Orioles

The Toronto Blue Jays were waiting for a pitching performance like this. Plodding along at a respectable 8-7 heading into Thursday’s game with the Orioles, the talk in Toronto had become about how the Blue Jays’ offence was carrying the load for their under-performing pitching staff.

Drew Hutchison silenced those critics, for at least one night.

The 24-year-old was excellent in a 7-6 win over the Orioles, pitching eight innings, striking out seven and walking none in what was easily the best performance by a Blue Jays starting pitcher so far this season.

“We were looking for a seven-or-eight inning start,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “He gave us what we needed.”

Hutchison cruised through the first five innings, retiring all 15 batters on just 56 pitches. His perfect game was broken up on the first pitch of sixth inning on a no-doubt-about-it home run by Manny Machado.

“You’re just out there concentrating on one guy at a time. I wasn’t really thinking about [being perfect],” Hutchison said.

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The timing of Hutchison’s gem couldn’t have been better. The discrepancy between the Blue Jays vaunted offence and struggling pitching was starting to become a topic of conversation on talk radio and social media. Heading into the game the Blue Jays were leading the majors in runs scored per game (5.80), and were tied for first in home runs. Meanwhile, their starters’ collective earned-run average was 4.97, good enough for 25^th in the majors. Blue Jays starters had accounted for six wins but three of them belonged to Mark Buehrle, who has received a ridiculous 13.32 runs of support per game.

“I felt like I was being aggressive in the zone, I got a good rhythm going. I was able to pound my fastball and get ahead of guys. That was the difference,” said Hutchison, who was just the second Blue Jays starter this season to pitch into the seventh inning. R.A. Dickey pitched seven last Saturday but got a no decision in an eventual Jays win over the Braves.

“He was sticking it pretty good tonight,” Gibbons said. “He was throwing good breaking balls. He made some adjustments [before the game], it helps to be confident going in.”

Hutchison got plenty of early run support in the third and fourth innings when the Blue Jays scored three times in each. Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the year, in the third that was the longest home run in the majors this season, according to MLB Advanced Media. Orioles starter Chris Tillman got himself into trouble in the fourth by walking the first two batters of the inning, and two base hits later three runs were cashed in for a 6-0 lead.

The Blue Jays nearly let a 7-2 lead slip away in the ninth. Liam Hendricks relieved Hutchison and gave up a run and left two other runners on base. Closer Miguel Castro relieved him and promptly served up a three-run homer to Machado, his second of the game. Castro recorded the final two outs with ease and earned the save.

Thanks to sweeping the Orioles, the Blue Jays finished their 10-game home stand 5-5, and have won three games in a row for the first time this season. They begin a 10-game road trip Friday in Tampa.

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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at denomme@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter.