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Payton powers Orioles in rout of Blue Jays

Jun 7, 2008 - 10:15 PM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Jay Payton made sure the Toronto Blue Jays kept struggling.

The outfielder drove in five runs Saturday, leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-5 victory, handing Toronto its fourth straight setback.

Payton snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run double in the third inning, then plated three runs in the fifth with his second double of the game to give the Orioles a 6-1 lead.

Payton and Nick Markakis, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games, both finished with three hits as Toronto starter A.J. Burnett endured his worst outing of the season.

"After we got up 3-1 and we put more runs on, you could tell he got a little bit frustrated and was trying to split the plate more right at guys and say, 'hit it if you can,'" Payton said. "Fortunately we were able to put good swings on it."

Burnett (5-6) lasted just 4 1/3 innings. He surrendered eight runs and 10 hits, striking out five and walking four.

Burnett was showered with boos by the Toronto fans as he was removed from the game and doffed his cap sarcastically to the jeers.

"That's a mental mistake on my part," said Burnett of mocking the fans. "I'm better than that. Obviously, from what we all saw, they every right to boo."

Brian Roberts and Luke Scott each had a pair of hits for the Orioles.

Jeremy Guthrie (3-6) snapped a personal four-game losing skid by pitching seven solid innings. He surrendered one run and six hits, striking out six without walking a batter.

The lone run Guthrie allowed came in the first inning when Marco Scutaro scored on a single by Alex Rios.

"Well it's good that he (Guthrie) won the game because he means a lot to our club," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "It's good for him and it's good for the team that we could get some runs, especially off Burnett."

Steve Trachsel pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Baltimore, but could not close things out. All four batters he faced in the ninth inning reached, including Kevin Mench who drove in a pair of runs with a double. After Brad Wilkerson walked, Trachsel was relieved by Dennis Sarafate, who promptly walked David Eckstein.

Vernon Wells, fresh off a stint on the disabled list with a cracked wrist, hit a sacrifice fly to score Mench for Toronto's fourth run and a fielder's choice by Scutaro scored Wilkerson to bring the Blue Jays within 9-5.

Sarafate rebounded to strike out Curtis Thigpen to end the game.

Wells was activated less than a month after he fractured his right wrist making a diving catch in a May 9 game at Cleveland. He started the game on the bench but came on as a defensive replacement after Shannon Stewart sprained his right ankle running out a grounder in the first and finished with two hits and a walk in four at-bats.

"I felt OK, it's kind of strange coming back to a big league park after being out for awhile and playing in a minor league stadium," Wells said. "It was great to be back but obviously it didn't turn out the way we wanted it too."