Orioles vs. Blue Jays: Baltimore begins difficult stretch with sixth loss in eight games TORONTO - Before Monday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, Baltimore Orioles Manager Buck Showalter played down the importance of the club's three-city, nine-game, 11-day road trip - all against American League East teams. Showalter has kept his team grounded during its hot start, not allowing it to look too far ahead. But a quick look back shows the Orioles aren't playing like the team that sprinted out to the best record in the AL just three days ago. Their starting pitching sputtering, their offense anemic, the Orioles lost their sixth game in their last eight, an uninspiring 6-2 loss to a Blue Jays team that had dropped its previous five games in front of an announced crowd of 16,575. The Orioles (29-20) clung to a share of first place in the division by default - the Rays also lost to Boston. But in the best division in baseball - where all five teams are separated by 4 ½ games in the standings - this road trip could make or break the Orioles. And the trip didn't start well on Monday night. Right-hander Tommy Hunter allowed nine hits, including a pair of homers two-run homers by Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson, and lasted just three innings, the shortest outing by an Orioles starter this season. In two starts at Rogers Centre this season, Hunter has thrown batting practice to Toronto batters, yielding six homers. Overall, Hunter has allowed 13 home runs, tied for second most in the majors. The Orioles" offense didn't help, handcuffed by Blue Jays starter Drew Hutchinson, who threw seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits and striking out nine while walking three. Over the middle innings, Hutchinson, who entered the night with a 5.73 ERA, retired nine of 10 Baltimore batters. The Orioles have scored just 2.3 runs a game in their past three, all losses.