O's 3 HRs can't overcome sloppy D, Yankees

BALTIMORE -- Much has been made of the Orioles' inability to score runs and -- with three or fewer in 12 of 13 games entering Saturday -- it was deserved. And while the offense didn't break out by any means, it was the defense that really let Baltimore down in an 8-5 loss to the Yankees at Camden Yards.
The afternoon started with a nearly two-hour rainless delay, as the O's held out for showers that didn't really begin until the tarp was peeled off. It rained mostly Yankees hits the rest of the night, as New York totaled 13 of them -- including five doubles and two homers -- and used three consecutive Orioles errors to cruise to a win.
"It makes your [starting pitcher's] outing a lot more laborious," manager Buck Showalter said of a brutal top of the sixth inning in the field that forced Kevin Gausman from the game.
"There's a double-play ball there that we can't finish off, and Jon [Schoop is] one of the best in the business at it. I haven't really looked at the inning. I know Chris [Davis] said he lost it in the lights. That's a very helpless feeling. You're just guessing where the ball is when it gets up that high. It's tough on pitchers. I think I'm more concerned with the plays that don't show up as errors."

Defensive woes aside, Baltimore got three solo homers -- including Manny Machado's team-leading 18th --but it wasn't enough to topple the American League East leaders.
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"I was telling [Andrew] Cashner on the bench, individually we've got a really good team. Collectively, we haven't played well together. I think it's the efficiency," said center fielder Adam Jones, who had one of the solo homers as well as two of the errors.
"Balls put in play, we usually make the outs. Playing for 27 outs was a main part of our team. Right now, it seems like we're playing 30-33 outs sometimes, and in the Major Leagues you can't allow that."

The Yankees capitalized on the shoddy defense, with Gary Sánchez -- who hit a routine double-play ball -- reaching second on an errant relay throw from Schoop. Sanchez scored on Didi Gregorius' fading liner, which bounced over Jones' glove in center field. Aaron Hicks drove him in with another single to end Gausman's day. Jones missed the relay throw on the play, allowing Hicks to reach second for Baltimore's third straight error.

Gausman went 5 1/3 innings and gave up six runs (five earned) including a pair of two-run homers to Miguel Andújar and Giancarlo Stanton.
"I got into a lot of situations and pitched out of a good amount of them," Gausman said. "Obviously, that sixth inning was really what beat me."
Machado, a bright spot in a disappointing season, followed Jones -- who went yard in the first -- and Joey Rickard (third) in going deep off Yankee starter Masahiro Tanaka in the sixth. The 25-year-old Machado, who is one of the hot commodities in advance of the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, shortened Baltimore's deficit to 6-3 and helped chase Tanaka from the game two outs later.

Danny Valencia's two-out double off of reliever Jonathan Holder made it 6-4 and brought the go-ahead run to the plate in Chance Sisco. But Holder got Sisco on warning-track fly ball to end the threat.
SOUND SMART
Jones now has 10 consecutive seasons of 10 or more home runs.
HE SAID IT
"I'm professionally frustrated, I guess. All that time and effort, all the stuff we put into offseasons and Spring Training and stuff like that, right now it's not working. As a team, collectively. It comes with that. We want to win. The only reason why we play this game is to win. And right now we aren't doing that. It's professional frustration, but I've been around for a while, I kinda know how to handle it, know how to own it and not let it fester and become a cancer." -- Jones

UP NEXT
The Orioles will send righty Alex Cobb to the mound in Sunday's 1:05 p.m. ET finale against the Yankees. Cobb took the loss on Monday, but it was the result of one big three-run homer against the Nationals. The O's righty went seven frames and showed some signs of breaking through despite a slow start that has him 1-7 with a 6.80 ERA. He will be opposed by Yankees righty Domingo Germán.