TORONTO -- J.A. Happ had some of his best stuff against the Baltimore Orioles. Unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, the lineup couldn't say the same.

Happ struck out a career-high 12 batters in eight stellar innings of work, but the Blue Jays fell five games back of the American League East-leading Orioles with a 2-1 loss Thursday night at Rogers Centre.

Toronto managed just five hits and couldn't do much against starter Miguel Gonzalez (6-6) or the Baltimore bullpen. The Blue Jays stranded six on base in losing their second of this three-game series.

Despite allowing a few doubles and a two-run home run to Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph, Happ (8-6) was in command. He limited the damage in giving up five hits and had just one walk to go along with the pile of strikeouts.

Earlier in the day when discussing Brett Lawrie's strained oblique that landed him on the 15-day disabled list, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said he believed the Blue Jays could be in every game as long as they pitched well. Happ certainly did that, but it wasn't enough.

Happ did get into trouble early but was up to his old tricks in getting out of jams.

Nick Markakis smacked the third pitch of the game into right-centre for a double, and Happ hit Manny Machado with a pitch to complicate matters. But the lefty got Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz to fly out and Delmon Young to pop up to end the threat.

In the second, Happ rebounded from a Chris Davis double by striking out Joseph and Jonathan Schoop. In the third he let two batters reach base before getting Delmon Young to ground out.

The Orioles (65-49) made Happ pay in the fourth. With J.J. Hardy on with a double, Joseph hit a towering two-run home run to left to make it 2-0.

Happ didn't allow another base runner the rest of the night, and he was still throwing in the 90s near the end of his 125-pitch outing.

With the bats in their hands, the Blue Jays (61-55) couldn't get much going. They didn't have a hit off Gonzalez until Dioner Navarro singled to lead off the fourth.

Their only run of the game came on a solo home run by Anthony Gose in the fifth. It was Gose's first of the season and just the fourth of his major league career.

After trade deadline acquisition Andrew Miller and righty reliever Darren O'Day held the Blue Jays off the board, Zach Britton picked up his 24th save of the season to extend the Orioles' division lead.

One reason for the Blue Jays' anaemic offensive showing could've been the departure of No. 2 hitter Melky Cabrera, who took a 91 mph fastball to the right elbow in the first inning. Cabrera was removed from the game in the third and is considered day-to-day after X-rays came back negative.

Nolan Reimond, who replaced Cabrera as the designated hitter, went 0 for 3.

Notes -- Left-handed reliever Rob Rasmussen did not make an appearance after being called up from triple-A Buffalo. ... The paid attendance was 34,676. ... Joseph became just the third catcher in Orioles history to hit four home runs in four games, joining Gus Triandos in 1959 and Ramon Hernandez in 2006.