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MIN@BAL: Hammel dominates Twins over eight innings

Jason Hammel had no-hit type stuff in his Orioles debut, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning.

The Baltimore right-hander might need a similar performance Saturday, as Baltimore faces Toronto righty Henderson Alvarez at Rogers Centre -- which hasn't exactly been a pleasant venue for the O's.

The Orioles are 6-29 in their last 35 games in Toronto, getting outscored 190-132 in that stretch. They'll also be facing one of the American League East's top young arms in Alvarez (0-0, 1.50 ERA), who began this season just like he finished the last.

Alvarez, 21, posted yet another quality start -- his seventh in 11 Major League outings -- in his season debut against the Red Sox, holding Boston to one run on four hits. The Orioles know firsthand the type of stuff Alvarez has after combining to hit only .167 (4-for-24) with one extra-base hit in two starts against the right-hander last year.

Baltimore counters with Hammel (1-0, 1.13), who held the Twins to two hits in eight innings of one-run ball his first time out. Hammel, who came to Baltimore in an offseason trade, credited a large part of his success to re-discovering his two-seam fastball.

"The two-seamer has opened a lot of doors for me with lefties," Hammel said. "For me, my four-seamer cuts a little bit, so anytime I try to go in to a lefty, it was coming back in toward the plate. I had to figure out something, and I'm starting to get lefties out.

"Obviously the AL East is stacked with lefty lineups. I had to find some other advantage, make an adjustment. And it worked well against the Twins. Hopefully it will work well against all the other lineups too."

Orioles: Coming through
A big reason Baltimore was able to snap its three-game losing streak Friday was because the Orioles came through in the clutch. After batting only .180 with runners in scoring position in their first six games, the O's went 3-for-6 in such situations Friday.

• Closer Jim Johnson has converted 11 straight saves dating back to last season.

Blue Jays: Escobar rakes vs. O's
Yunel Escobar certainly enjoys playing Baltimore. The Blue Jays shortstop is a career .362 hitter against the Orioles, with 11 extra-base hits. He also has a 12-game hitting streak against the O's, in which he's hitting .422.

• Toronto is 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts this season.

Worth noting
• Blue Jays second baseman Kelly Johnson is hitting .357 (5-for-14) in his career against Hammel.

• Toronto pitchers have held opponents to a .190 average this season.

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