Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homers and extends hitting streak to 20 games as Blue Jays beat Orioles 7-6

TORONTO (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered for the 10th time in 20 games and drove in four runs, Kevin Gausman pitched eight innings to win his fourth straight decision and the Toronto Blue Jays survived a late rally to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Thursday night.

With his Hall of Fame father watching from a private suite, Guerrero came within a single of hitting for the cycle. He opened the scoring with an RBI double off Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer in the first inning, extending his season-best hitting streak to 20 games.

Guerrero flew out to end the second, then hit a two-run homer to right field off Kremer in the fifth, his 23rd. Guerrero capped his night with an RBI triple off right-hander Bryan Baker in the sixth, his first triple of the season.

Guerrero pointed to his dad as he crossed the plate on his home run, the first he’d hit in the big leagues with his father in the stands.

“Once I hit it, I knew it was gone,” Guerrero said through a translator. “Not until I touched home plate and when I pointed at him, I was kind of like ‘Wow, finally he saw one.’”

Guerrero is batting .507 (37 for 73) with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 22 RBIs over the course of his streak.

“He’s the best hitter in baseball right now,” Gausman said. “I don’t know what I would do if I was facing him.”

Guerrero’s hot stretch is the longest active hitting streak in the majors. It’s his longest since a career-best 22-game hitting streak in 2022.

“He’s showing this league what he’s capable of,” Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser said.

Batting in front of Guerrero, Daulton Varsho reached base three times and scored three runs.

“Tough to win when you’re walking guys in front of Guerrero,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just some poor pitch execution to him, a guy that’s really dangerous, and it hurt us.”

Cowser hit a two-run home run and drove in four runs for the Orioles. Baltimore leads the majors with 179 home runs, but the Orioles lost two of three in Toronto. They’re 11-15 since July 9.

“Overall, we haven’t really been playing our best baseball but we’re still in the fight for the division,” Cowser said. "That’s really all you can ask for.”

Baltimore and the New York Yankees are tied atop the AL East with identical 68-48 records.

Gausman (10-8) came in 1-4 with a 5.35 ERA in six career starts against Baltimore, his first big-league team. He retired the first eight batters in order before walking infielder Ramón Urías. Cowser followed with a first-pitch homer, his 17th.

Anthony Santander followed with a double and Gunnar Henderson walked but Gausman got Ryan O’Hearn to ground out.

Gausman allowed two runs and three hits, retiring 16 of the final 18 batters he faced. He walked three and struck out two.

“We didn’t do a whole lot after that homer,” Hyde said.

Baltimore started the ninth down 7-3 but loaded the bases with three straight hits off Zach Pop. Chad Green came on for Pop and finished for his 10th save in 10 chances.

Jackson Holliday drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and Cedric Mullins hit an RBI double but Green struck out pinch hitter Eloy Jiménez.

Cowser cut it to 7-6 with a single but Green ended it by retiring Santander on a fly ball. The Orioles are 12-13 in one-run games.

Kremer (4-9) allowed five runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He balked home a run in the first inning and matched a career-worst with five walks.

“Walks are always disappointing, unless they’re intentional,” Kremer said. “I threw too many non-competitive pitches in deep counts and got myself in trouble.”

Kremer lost for the fifth time in six starts and is winless since July 3 at Seattle.

ROSTER MOVES

The Blue Jays put LHP Génesis Cabrera on the paternity list and selected the contract of RHP Tommy Nance. Toronto acquired Nance Wednesday in a minor-league trade with San Diego, sending cash considerations in return.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Zach Eflin (7-7, 4.05 ERA) is scheduled to start against his former team when Baltimore visits Tampa Bay on Friday. RHP Zack Littell (5-7, 4.06) is listed for the Rays.

Blue Jays: RHP José Berríos (9-9, 4.11 ERA) is scheduled to face Oakland RHP Mitch Spence (7-7, 4.40) on Friday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday reaches third base on an RBI double by Cedric Mullins (31) during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles' Cedric Mullins starts to run after hitting an RBI double during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser (17) takes an at-bat during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser (17) reacts after striking out during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) visits pitcher Zach Pop, left, at the mound during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles' Adley Rutschman is forced out at third base during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jaysin Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson forces out Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer at first base on a ground ball during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles' Jackson Holliday prepares to hit a single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer (4) reacts on second base during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer (64) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer (4) celebrates with teammates after scoring on an RBI double by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. celebrates after defeating the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk (30) hits an RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., center, celebrates with Daulton Varsho, left, after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays'Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) watches as George Springer, foreground, scores on his RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is doused by teammates after defeating the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) hits a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Toronto. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani separatist group claimed responsibility for a late night bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside the country's largest airport, killing two workers from China and wounding eight people, officials and the insurgent group said Monday.

The attack by the Baloch Liberation Army outside the airport in the southern port city of Karachi was the latest deadly assault on Chinese here and came a week before Pakistan is to host a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security grouping founded by China and Russia to counter Western alliances.

The explosion, which the BLA said was the work of a suicide bomber, also raised questions about the ability of Pakistani forces to secure high-profile events or foreigners in the country. Among the wounded were also police officers who were escorting the Chinese convoy when the attack happened.

Initially, Pakistani authorities gave conflicting details and said the explosion may have been from an oil tanker but police later confirmed it was a bomb attack.

Pakistani news channels broadcast videos of flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene. Troops and police cordoned off the area. On Monday, counterterrorism officials were investigating how the attacker reached Karachi, Pakistan's largest city.

The spokesman for the separatist group, Junaid Baloch, said Monday that one of their suicide bombers targeted the convoy of Chinese engineers and investors as they left the airport. The Baloch Liberation Army is mainly based in the restive southwestern Balochistan province but it has also attacked foreigners and security forces in other parts of Pakistan in recent years.

The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said Chinese staffers working at the Port Qasim Electric Power Company — a coal-powered power plant that's a joint China-Pakistan venture — were in the convoy when it came under attack around 11 p.m. on Sunday. Two Chinese nationals were killed and one was wounded, the embassy said and added, without elaborating, that there were also Pakistani casualties.

Pakistani security officials say a police bomb disposal unit in Sindh province, where Karachi is the capital, had cleared the road outside the airport ahead of the movement of the Chinese convoy, which was being escorted by police and security officials in several vehicles.

However, the road had not been blocked to avoid inconvenience for residents and travelers going to or from the airport, the officials said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss security details.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the bombing, saying it was a “heinous terrorist attack near Karachi airport.” It said another Chinese was injured in the attack.

“We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims, both Chinese and Pakistani, and offer prayers for the swift recovery of the injured,” said the ministry in a statement. “We remain resolute in bringing to justice those responsible for this cowardly attack.”

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was shocked and saddened, describing the attackers as “enemies of Pakistan” and promising the perpetrators would be punished.

“I strongly condemn this heinous act and offer my heartfelt condolences to the Chinese leadership & the people of China, particularly the families of the victims,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

“Pakistan stands committed to safeguarding our Chinese friends," he added. "We will leave no stone unturned to ensure their security & well-being.”

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met later Monday with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong and briefed him about the investigation into the attack, the government said.

Authorities estimate that the BLA, which Pakistan and the United States have designated a terrorist organization, has around 3,000 fighters. It regularly targets Pakistani security forces but has also in the past attacked Chinese nationals.

According to Abdullah Khan, a senior defense analyst and managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, BLA has preferred attacks on “moving targets” but its ability to launch high-profile attacks has increased in recent years.

More BLA attacks around the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit next week cannot be ruled out, Khan told The Associated Press.

Port Qasim Electric Power Company is owned by PowerChina Resource Ltd, a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China whose spokesperson, Geng Xingqiang, said the company "is in the middle of making arrangements to actively deal with the incident.”

Pakistan hosts thousands of Chinese workers as part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is building major infrastructure projects.

The outlawed BLA has long waged an insurgency seeking independence and has repeatedly warned against any Chinese working in Balochistan.

The Sunday night attack followed deadly attacks in August that killed more than 50 people in Balochistan. Sharif at the time said the attackers sought to harm Chinese-funded development projects.

The oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but also least populated province. It is also a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government. Along with separatist groups, Islamic militants also operate in the province.

In 2018, the BLA stormed the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, triggering an intense hourlong shootout that killed two Pakistani civilians and two police officers. All three assailants were also killed.

In March, in northwestern Pakistan, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and their Pakistani driver as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the country's biggest hydropower project. In April, five Japanese workers were unharmed when a suicide bomber targeted their van as they were on their wat to a factory in Karachi. One bystander was killed.

In July 2021, at least nine Chinese nationals working on a dam and four Pakistanis were killed when a suicide bomber targeted their bus in northwestern Pakistan. Local authorities first said it was a road accident but Beijing insisted it was a bombing, which Islamabad later confirmed.

In 2022, three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver were killed when an explosion ripped through their van at the University of Karachi campus.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu and AP researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this report.

Security officials work on the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Pakistani Baloch separatists claim deadly bomb attack that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials work on the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Pakistani Baloch separatists claim deadly bomb attack that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials work on the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Pakistani Baloch separatists claim deadly bomb attack that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials stand guard next to the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Pakistani Baloch separatists claim deadly bomb attack that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A car is seen damaged at the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Pakistani Baloch separatists claim deadly bomb attack that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials stand guard at the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Pakistani Baloch separatists claim deadly bomb attack that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials examine damage cars at the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials examine the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials examine the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, early Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Pakistani security officials who were injured in an explosion receives treatment inside an ambulance outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Security officials examine the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles outside Karachi airport, Pakistan, early Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A Pakistani security official, who was injured in an explosion receives treatment inside an ambulance outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, early Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A paramilitary soldier gestures toward media as security officials examine the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

A vehicle is seen on fire at the site of an explosion that caused injures and destroyed vehicles at outside the Karachi airport, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)