Orioles: Bombers just not missing at the plate

The Orioles didn’t seem upset they won’t be back in The Bronx until the middle of September. Actually, they couldn’t wait to leave Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

“Let’s get the hell out of New York,” center fielder Adam Jones said.

And who could blame him for wanting to race out of the five boroughs? Baltimore had just spent a weekend getting humbled by the Yankees, swept away in dominating fashion. They were outscored 38-8, out-hit 44-18, and out-homered 11-3, and now trail the division-leading Yankees by 6 ¹/₂ games.

“They’re swinging the bats, they’re getting themselves into hitters’ counts, and they’re not missing fastballs,” Jones said. “I got the best vantage point [in center field], and what I see is they’re not missing.”

Sunday’s 14-3 loss was the most galling, considering Chad Green, starting in place of struggling Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, only went two hitters into the third inning. But the Orioles could do very little with the underbelly of the Yankees bullpen, and Baltimore’s pitching staff continued to be overwhelmed by the aptly named Bronx Bombers. The Yankees hit four home runs, two by Aaron Judge.

“They’re just really comfortable, spitting on pitchers’ pitches in two-strike counts, doing a lot of things they normally wouldn’t do,” Orioles starter Kevin Gausman said after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits and seven walks in 3 ¹/₃ innings. “It’s obviously a lot of young guys that are playing well, so they have that confidence right now.”

The Orioles put up a strong front, refusing to believe the team in the opposite dugout is their superior. But they also conceded how impressive their AL East rivals have been of late.

“They’re good. It’s pretty obvious,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “They’re good at a lot of phases of the game right now.”

The Orioles entered the series in solid shape despite the absence of injured star Manny Machado, having won five of their previous eight games. But they left the city in disarray.

“That scoreboard doesn’t look pretty, standing out there isn’t pretty. It isn’t fun,” Jones said.