TORONTO — The Charlie Morton experience is pretty well documented. After 17 major league seasons, how could it not be?

The Orioles knew what they were getting: a 41-year-old veteran starting pitcher who has a track record of eating innings but will probably cause his manager a heart attack or two as he lets traffic get on base.

That sure was the case Friday, as Morton made his first start for the Orioles after signing a one-year, $15 million contract in January. The move brought the Orioles the depth they needed — it’s to be seen if it’ll bring them wins or if he’ll be just a body to fill the spot in the rotation.

On Friday, the latter was true as he was credited with four runs in 3 1/3 innings in a messy 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The defense and rest of the pitching staff also faltered, while the offense put up just three hits, ending the good vibes that came after their record-setting opening day win.

“Well, yeah, I didn’t pitch well,” Morton said when asked if he was disappointed with how his first outing went. “I wish I had. But there’s nothing I can do about it now. I went out and we had a game plan and I tried to execute it, and like I said, I think it was just strange.”

One outing is not enough to judge Morton’s worth — it’s not unusual for players to have a hard transition from spring training to the regular season. His career longevity is enough to make you believe he can perform better. There were signs throughout his start, too, that showed that. In each of the first three innings, he let on a runner but found his way out without damage.

The fourth, though, was too much for even a veteran like Morton to escape from. With a 2-0 Orioles lead, Alejandro Kirk, George Springer and Will Wagner hit singles to load the bases with no outs. Then Morton walked Nathan Lukes, sending in a free run. Springer then scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game and end Morton’s day. It was a taxing outing, Morton said.

Morton said the Blue Jays did a good job handling his breaking ball — he thinks the shape and movement are there on his curveball, but he needs to dial in and figure out why they were able to attack it. He added that his four-seam fastball also played high.

“It was just a very strange night to see my four-seamer play the way it did and to see the curveball not play the way it did,” he said.

Albert Suárez, who made his first opening day roster at 35 years old, took over from there and didn’t fare much better. His first pitch of the season was a wild one, allowing Wagner to score. The Blue Jays added another run on a sacrifice fly from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and one more after an errant throw from shortstop Jorge Mateo, trying to get Anthony Santander out at first, went into the dugout and Bo Bichette came home. Suárez’s velocity was down, but manager Brandon Hyde said Suárez felt fine.

The inning finally ended a batter later, but not before the damage was done: five runs in the fourth, four of which were credited to Morton. Suárez allowed one more run in the sixth, and Cionel Pérez wasn’t sharp either. His inning included a walk, a balk and a two-run double.

If this is how Morton’s starts are going to go, the Orioles have two options: score more runs or expect a loss every five days. On Friday, they had just three hits, two of which came from Jackson Holliday, including a solo home run in the third.

They didn’t have a hit after the fifth inning. They loaded the bases without a hit in the ninth but could not convert.

“It’s obviously very tough to replicate what we did last night every night,” Holliday said. “But we’ve got tomorrow. Obviously, not the result we’re looking for as a team, but like I said, we’ve got tomorrow to get after it. Yeah, that’s what we’re searching for every night, what we did the first night, but it’s tough to do that.”