TORONTO — Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 16th homer, Ricky Romero threw a six-hitter and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Alex Gonzalez and Lyle Overbay also had solo drives for the Blue Jays, who have a club-record 53 homers in May and a majors-best 86 overall. Toronto, which also swept a series at Baltimore from April 9-11, recorded consecutive three-game sweeps of the Orioles for the first time since August 2001.
Romero (5-2) struck out seven and walked two in his second complete game of the season. The left-hander retired 15 of 18 after Nick Markakis' RBI single in the first inning.
It was a marked improvement from his previous start on Tuesday, when he was roughed up by the Los Angeles Angels while pitching in his hometown before some 200 family and friends. He lasted just 5 1/3 innings in that one, allowing seven runs and 11 hits in an 8-3 loss.
Bautista hit Will Ohman's first pitch of the eighth over the wall in center for his 12th homer in May, matching Jose Cruz Jr. (Aug. 2001) and Carlos Delgado (Aug. 1999) for the most by a Blue Jays player in a single month.
Gonzalez followed with a drive to left, his 11th. It's the sixth time this season Toronto has hit back-to-back homers.
Overbay led off the sixth with his seventh homer and third in two days. Overbay hit a solo drive and a two-run shot in Saturday's 5-2 win.
Toronto got off to a fast start against Jeremy Guthrie (3-5), scoring three runs in the first. Fred Lewis led off with a double and scored on Vernon Wells' two-out double. Bautista then walked and Alex Gonzalez and Overbay followed with RBI singles.
Guthrie allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings to lose for the first time since May 3 against the New York Yankees. He had won his last three decisions
Notes
Toronto will activate LHP Brian Tallet off the disabled list to start Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Tallet has been out since April 18 with a sore forearm. He'll start in place of LHP Dana Eveland, who was designated for assignment last week. … Toronto has outscored Baltimore 29-11 in six games this season.