Orioles 9, Blue Jays 3: Caleb Joseph and Jonathan Schoop hit back-to-back homers during a three-run fourth inning as visiting Baltimore took the opener of the three-game series between the division rivals.

Chris Davis also went deep and joined Nelson Cruz and J.J. Hardy with two RBIs apiece for the first-place Orioles, who moved five games ahead of Toronto in the American League East. Schoop and Delmon Young each finished with two hits and drove in a run while Bud Norris (9-7) improved to 3-0 lifetime against the Blue Jays by allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings.

Colby Rasmus belted a two-run shot and Jose Reyes collected three hits for Toronto, which lost its fourth straight but maintained its one-game lead for the second AL wild-card spot. Mark Buehrle (11-8) lasted only four innings, surrendering four runs on 10 hits and three walks en route to his seventh loss in eight decisions.

Hardy opened the scoring in the third with an RBI double before Joseph and Schoop began the fourth with their blasts to make it 3-0. Nick Markakis followed with a base hit and scored on Young's infield single later in the frame to extend the lead.

Rasmus halved the deficit in the bottom half with his 15th homer, but Davis launched a one-out solo shot in the fifth and Cruz delivered an RBI single an inning later to restore the four-run advantage. Jose Bautista lifted a sacrifice fly in the seventh to get Toronto within 6-3 before Baltimore rallied for three runs in the eighth to put away the game.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Toronto 3B Brett Lawrie (finger) was activated from the disabled list and singled in his only at-bat before exiting after three innings with tightness in his lower back. ... Cruz and Davis sandwiched sacrifice flies around an RBI single by Hardy in the eighth as the Orioles took a 6-5 lead in the season series. ... Bautista singled in the ninth inning to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 14 games.