BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Baltimore Orioles moved to the brink of claiming their first AL East title in 17 years, using a resilient pitching performance by Wei-Yin Chen to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 Monday night.Baltimore can clinch the division crown with a win over Toronto on Tuesday. That would assure the Orioles their second playoff berth in three years following a run of 14 consecutive losing seasons.Baltimore (90-60) leads the AL East by 12 1/2 games, its biggest advantage since 1979. 
Chen (16-4) allowed two runs on nine hits over 5 2-3 innings to become the first Orioles lefty to win 16 games since Jimmy Key in 1997 - the year Baltimore last won the AL East. Although he yielded at least one hit in every inning but the second, Chen improved to 13-2 in 23 starts since May 9.Zach Britton worked the ninth for his 35th save in 39th opportunities.Ryan Flaherty homered and Adam Jones had three hits and an RBI as the Orioles secured their eighth win in nine games.Jose Reyes had three hits and scored twice for the Blue Jays, whose wild-card chances grow slimmer with every defeat."We're going to have to play some series where we win more than two out of three, realistically," manager John Gibbons said before the opener of the three-game set.Blue Jays rookie Marcus Stroman (10-6) gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings. He won his previous three starts.Toronto got off to a fast start, using three straight singles to score a run before Chen got an out.In the bottom of the first, Jones got an RBI on a 50-foot dribbler down the third-base line and another run scored on a double-play grounder.Nelson Cruz singled in a run in the third and Flaherty hit a two-run shot in the fourth to make it 5-1.After Danny Valencia singled in a run for Toronto in the fifth, Toronto got two on with one out in the sixth. Chen was pulled after striking out pinch-hitter Colby Rasmus. Brad Brach then struck out Reyes.Toronto went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.
Chen (16-4) allowed two runs on nine hits over 5 2-3 innings to become the first Orioles lefty to win 16 games since Jimmy Key in 1997 - the year Baltimore last won the AL East. Although he yielded at least one hit in every inning but the second, Chen improved to 13-2 in 23 starts since May 9.Zach Britton worked the ninth for his 35th save in 39th opportunities.Ryan Flaherty homered and Adam Jones had three hits and an RBI as the Orioles secured their eighth win in nine games.Jose Reyes had three hits and scored twice for the Blue Jays, whose wild-card chances grow slimmer with every defeat."We're going to have to play some series where we win more than two out of three, realistically," manager John Gibbons said before the opener of the three-game set.Blue Jays rookie Marcus Stroman (10-6) gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings. He won his previous three starts.Toronto got off to a fast start, using three straight singles to score a run before Chen got an out.In the bottom of the first, Jones got an RBI on a 50-foot dribbler down the third-base line and another run scored on a double-play grounder.Nelson Cruz singled in a run in the third and Flaherty hit a two-run shot in the fourth to make it 5-1.After Danny Valencia singled in a run for Toronto in the fifth, Toronto got two on with one out in the sixth. Chen was pulled after striking out pinch-hitter Colby Rasmus. Brad Brach then struck out Reyes.Toronto went 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position.
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