Blue Jays muster 6 hits in 3-0 loss to Orioles

Jason Hammel threw seven innings of four-hit ball, and the Orioles got home runs from Wilson Betemit and Chris Davis in a 3-0 victory Wednesday night.

After scoring only one run on Tuesday, the Blue Jays were blanked for the first time this season by Hammel and two relievers.

"We're in a little bit of a dry patch right now, the last two nights," Toronto manager John Farrell acknowledged. "But I'm not going to take anything away from their ability to pitch and how they have executed in these first two games."

Baltimore is 4-1 against Toronto this season and will seek to complete a three-game sweep on Thursday night. The Blue Jays were 12-6 against the Orioles last year and 15-3 in 2010.

Hammel (3-0) struck out seven and walked one in lowering his ERA to 1.73 over four starts. The right-hander was dealt to Baltimore in February with Matt Lindstrom in the trade that sent Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado.

"So far it's good," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of the trade. "Jeremy's going to pitch real well over there. He already is. We look at it as quality for quality."

After Hammel departed, Lindstrom worked a perfect eighth and Pedro Strop got three outs for his second save in two nights as the replacement for closer Jim Johnson, who has been hospitalized since Monday with flulike symptoms. Strop yielded two hits but effectively sealed Baltimore's first shutout since Sept. 9, 2011, against Toronto.

Blue Jays starter Kyle Drabek (2-1) allowed two runs, five hits and three walks in six innings. He was aided by three double plays.

But Drabek got little support from the Toronto offense. Yunel Escobar struck out three times, Kelly Johnson went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and the Blue Jays placed only three runners in scoring position.