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Toronto’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. celebrates after hitting a grand slam in the first inning Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles. Joshua Bessex/Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit his first grand slam in a six-run first inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took over sole possession of the home run lead with his 24th, and the Toronto Blue Jays extended Baltimore’s road losing streak to 20 games by routing the Orioles 9-0 on Thursday night.

Baltimore tied the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics for the second-longest road skid in AL history, trailing only the 22 losses in a row by the 1943 A’s. The Orioles are an AL-worst 23-52, including 11-26 away from home.

The Orioles have lost 14 of their last 15 overall. Combined with Wednesday’s 13-0 defeat to Houston, the franchise has been shut out in consecutive losses of at least nine runs for the first time since the St. Louis Browns were swept in a doubleheader 12-0 and 14-0 at Detroit on Sept. 22, 1936.

Toronto has won a season-high five straight, following a five-game losing streak. The Blue Jays improved to 4-5 at Sahlen Field, the home of their Triple-A team, after going 10-11 at TD Ballpark, their spring training ballpark. They are 24-19 on the road.

Anthony Kay (1-2) and four relievers combined on a seven-hitter, the fifth shutout for Blue Jays pitchers this season and the sixth time the Orioles were blanked. Making his fifth start this season, Kay allowed five hits in five innings, walked two and matched his career high with eight strikeouts. His first seven outs were on strikeouts.

YANKEES 8, ROYALS 1: Aaron Judge homered for the first of his three hits, Gary Sánchez connected for the second straight game and New York got its first blowout victory in a month, beating visiting Kansas City.

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Judge hit a solo shot in the first, Luke Voit had another in the third and Sánchez blew the game open with a three-run drive in the sixth.

New York had not won by more than four runs since a 7-0 rout of the Chicago White Sox on May 22.

Jameson Taillon (2-4) matched a season high by pitching 61/3 innings and ended an eight-start winless streak. The right-hander allowed a run, five hits and two walks, striking out six on 96 pitches.

The Yankees have won 7 of 9, and seven of their eight wins before Wednesday had come via comebacks.

New York has 29 homers in its last 14 games after totaling 11 in the 14 previous games.

ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 1: Chris Bassitt pitched seven innings to win his eighth consecutive decision, Jed Lowrie drove in runs with a single and a no-doubt home run and Oakland won at Texas for a series split.

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Bassitt (8-2) started Oakland’s opener and lost his first two games. He’s gone 8-0 with a 2.95 ERA in 14 starts since for the longest winning streak among American League pitchers this season. The right-hander allowed only five singles and one run while striking out four with three walks.

The A’s (46-31) bounced back from their first road series loss of this season at the New York Yankees last weekend. But the four-game split dropped then behind Houston in the AL West; the A’s arrived in Texas having led the division for all but one day since April 19.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

REDS 5, BRAVES 3: Tony Santillan allowed one run in six innings to earn his first major league victory and Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer, lifting Cincinnati to a win at home.

Santillan (1-1) gave up three hits, struck out eight and walked three in his third big league start. He also doubled in the third inning for his first career hit.

NATIONALS 7, MARLINS 3: Kyle Schwarber homered twice, raising his season total to 21 by hitting 12 in his last 13 games, and Washington won at Miami for its 10th victory in 11 games.

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Schwarber pulled a hanging curveball from Cody Poteet (2-3) to right for his fifth leadoff home run this season.

Josh Harrison singled with one out in the second, Victor Robles walked, and with two outs Schwarber sent an 0-2 fastball over the wall in center for a 4-0 lead.

Schwarber became the first player in major league history to homer 11 times in a 13-game span from the No. 1 slot in the batting order, according to STATS. He became the fourth player with eight home runs and 15 RBI in a five-game span, joining Shawn Green, Manny Ramirez and Frank Howard.

NOTES

ATHLETICS: Right-hander Mike Fiers likely won’t throw for at least another four weeks after an injection for his sprained right elbow.

Manager Bob Melvin said Fiers, who last pitched May 6, won’t need surgery after he felt discomfort when trying to resume throwing this week. Fiers, who has made only two starts this season and hasn’t pitched since May 6, visited with Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.

Fiers missed the first 22 games of the season because of a lumbar strain before his debut April 30 and made his only other start May 6. He went on the 10-day IL on May 8 and was later moved to the 60-day IL.

Melvin said the A’s still believe there is a possibility for the 36-year-old Fiers to pitch again this season.

“We wouldn’t continue to go down this path if we didn’t think there was some time left with it,” Melvin said. “That’s probably on the conservative side, four weeks. I don’t know that it can happen sooner than that, but that’s just kind of the timetable the doctors put on it right now.”

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