Toronto, Baltimore Wins Set Up Showdown at SkyDome : Gruber Gets Four RBIs, Makes Key Catch to Spark Blue Jays’ 8-1 Victory

With Toronto’s division title hopes on the ropes Wednesday night, Kelly Gruber knew what to do.

“You can see that he’s into it. He wants to win this thing real bad,” Blue Jay Manager Cito Gaston said after Gruber drove in four runs and led Toronto past Detroit, 8-1.

Toronto maintained its one-game lead in the American League East as second-place Baltimore beat Milwaukee, 4-0.

The Orioles and the Blue Jays will decide the title this weekend in a three-game series at Toronto. Jeff Ballard (18-8) will start the series for Baltimore, and Todd Stottlemyre (7-7) will pitch for Toronto.

“Nobody’s going to give it to us,” said Dave Stieb (17-8), who allowed four hits and struck out seven in 7 2/3 innings. “We’re going to have to earn the championship ourselves.”

Gruber also sparked the Blue Jays with his defense. With the game tied, 1-1, and a runner on third in the sixth, the Blue Jay third baseman dived three rows into the seats beside the Detroit dugout to snare Matt Nokes’ foul and end the inning.

“That was the key play of the game as far as I’m concerned,” Stieb said. “That pumped me up. It was great to get off the field at that point and go get some runs, which we did.”

Lloyd Moseby’s double broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh and he scored on George Bell’s single for a 3-1 lead. Toronto added five runs in the ninth when Tony Fernandez hit a two-run triple and Gruber a three-run homer.

Stieb matched his career high in victories, set in 1982 and equaled in 1983. It was his fourth consecutive victory at Tiger Stadium and only the fourth time in 18 games that a Blue Jay starter had won.

Tom Henke relieved Stieb in the eighth and got his 19th save.

Doyle Alexander (6-18) gave up three runs and seven hits in seven innings and walked five.

Mookie Wilson singled off Paul Gibson to start the ninth. Fred McGriff grounded out, and Bell was intentionally walked before Fernandez tripled for a 5-1 lead. Gibson walked Ernie Whitt, and Gruber hit his 18th home run.

“We’ve been looking to see what Baltimore has been doing, if anything,” Gruber said. “But we know we just have to win two. Their backs are to the wall, not ours.”