TORONTO — Yovani Gallardo retraced the ugly events of a seven-run fifth inning that chased him from the Orioles' 9-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at Rogers Centre.

The Orioles right-hander held a dangerous Toronto lineup scoreless for 41/3 innings until he allowed a home run to second baseman Devon Travis to tie the game at 1 on a full-count fastball that caught too much of the plate. But it was the back-to-back walks to Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson that signaled the beginning of the end for Gallardo.

“After that, I just kind of let things get in my head a little bit,” Gallardo said.

Both players came around to score. Bautista scored on Edwin Encarnacion's double, and, after an intentional walk to Michael Saunders loaded the bases, Mychal Givens entered the game and walked Troy Tulowitzki, which allowed Donaldson to trot home.

“[Struggled with] my command more than anything, falling behind guys in that situation,” Gallardo said. “I just wasn't able to get ahead of guys, got a little bit away from the game plan I had a little that inning.”

Gallardo issued a season-high five walks, although one was intentional. Walks have haunted Gallardo throughout the season, with his walk rate of 5.15 per nine innings the third highest in the American League among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Only teammate Ubaldo Jimenez (5.50) and the Houston Astros' Lance McCullers (5.19) have walked more. Gallardo has issued four or more walks in four of his past five starts, with 19 in 28 innings.

Ondrusek pitches scoreless inning in debut: Reliever Logan Ondrusek entered his Orioles debut Saturday not having pitched in a game in more than a month, his abrupt departure from the Japanese Central League's Yakult Swallows somewhat of a mystery.

But now Ondrusek, who has pitched parts of five years with the Cincinnati Reds, suddenly finds himself in a pennant race because of the Orioles' need for a reliever to get left-handed hitters out. Ondrusek retired all three batters he faced, striking out one, in a scoreless sixth inning.

“I'm happy to be here,” Ondrusek said. “It's a great opportunity for me, and the team's been doing really well and it's nice to join a contender. I'm ready to go. It's funny how things work out. I had a little disagreement over in Japan and it was kind of obvious we were going in two separate directions, so I had an opportunity to come back to the States and I took advantage of it.”

Since trading Brian Matusz, the Orioles have been seeking a reliever to get lefties out, a search that dipped deep into the minor league system before the team arrived at Ondrusek.

Ondrusek is a right-hander but has held lefties to a .236 average over his major league career.

“It's just a mix of throwing everything at them,” Ondrusek said. “I like to throw cutters and splits, and that's what I've kind of done throughout my career as soon as I learned the cutter.”

Ondrusek hadn't pitched in a game since June 26, but he said he's been working out and throwing bullpen sessions to stay fresh.

“It's just matter of getting back out there and doing it now because it's been a while since I've been on a big league mound,” he said. “But I don't see a problem with it. It's just figuring out the hitters and executing.”

Rickard recovering well: Manager Buck Showalter remains optimistic that outfielder Joey Rickard — who was expected to miss four to six weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb, which he injured July 20 — is ahead of schedule in his recovery.

Rickard has a follow-up appointment Monday and could get the bulky splint he's been wearing on his hand removed.

“I tell you Monday is a big day if they get the splint off,” Showalter said. “They've gotten most of the swelling out of there, which is unusual. I'm hoping for positive news and maybe push up that date a little bit on Monday.”

Rickard injured his thumb hitting the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium while chasing a fly ball and thought he'd be in the brace for three weeks. An accelerated return could help the club's outfield depth down the stretch. The Orioles have just two outfielders on the bench with Hyun Soo Kim and Nolan Reimold splitting starts against right-handed and left-handed starters, respectively.

Around the horn: The Orioles' starting pitching is scheduled to stay in turn after Monday's day off with Dylan Bundy set to start Tuesday's series opener against the Texas Rangers at home, followed by Kevin Gausman on Wednesday and Gallardo on Thursday. Chris Tillman, who will pitch today in Toronto, would be on turn to start Friday in Chicago against the White Sox.

eencina@baltsun.com

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