Orioles 8, Blue Jays 2: Steve Pearce belted a three-run homer in the first inning and Jimmy Paredes added a solo shot to power Baltimore to its first American League East title since 1997 before a raucous home crowd.

Alejandro De Aza delivered a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning to break it open and send the Orioles into the playoffs for the second time in three years following 14 straight losing seasons. Ubaldo Jimenez (5-9) allowed two runs over five innings in a spot start to help nail down the clinching victory - the ninth win in 10 games for Baltimore.

Drew Hutchison (10-12) struck out a career-high 11 batters but was charged with six runs over 6 1/3 innings for Toronto, which suffered a damaging blow to its fading playoff hopes with its fourth loss in five games. Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes had RBI hits as the Blue Jays remained five games behind Kansas City for the second wild card with 12 remaining.

Pearce ignited the festive crowd in the bottom of the first, answering Encarnacion's RBI double in the top of the inning by hammering a three-run shot over the wall in right-center field. Jimenez issued a pair of walks before Reyes singled in a run in the second, but Paredes drilled an opposite-field blast leading off the bottom of the frame for a 4-2 advantage.

Jimenez, making his first start since being yanked from the rotation a month ago, threw 60 pitches through two innings but retired the final 10 batters he faced before Baltimore pulled away, thanks in part to Hutchison's throwing error on a comebacker. Aaron Loup relieved Hutchison and promptly hit Nick Markakis with a pitch to load the bases before De Aza cleared them by ripping a triple down the right-field line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Pearce extended his hitting streak to five games with his 18th home run - one more than he hit in his previous seven seasons combined. ... Blue Jays CF Anthony Gose saved a run in the bottom of the second inning with a leaping catch over the wall to rob Nick Hundley of a home run. ... De Aza, acquired from the Chicago White Sox at the end of August, collected his third triple in five games - nearly one-quarter of Baltimore's season total of 13.