Machado, Smith homer in Orioles’ rally vs. Yankees

BALTIMORE — Down by four runs, the Baltimore Orioles made up the deficit by employing their most effective weapon: the home run.

Manny Machado hit a three-run shot, leadoff hitter Seth Smith got into the act with a two-run drive and the Orioles rallied to beat the New York Yankees 6-5 Friday night.

Temperature at game time was 45 degrees, and a stiff wind made for a very chilly night at Camden Yards.

Perhaps that’s why it took Baltimore’s big bats a while to heat up.

Stymied by 23-year-old Luis Severino for four innings, the Orioles began to stir in the fifth. Machado’s first home run of the season got Baltimore within a run at 5-4, and Smith completed the comeback in the seventh with a drive off Tyler Clippard (0-1).

Smith was obtained in an offseason trade because of his ability to get on base, but in this game he made the difference with the long ball.

Batting with a runner on third and New York’s infield drawn in, Smith hit a 2-1 fastball over the right-field wall.

“You have a job to do there, especially late in the game. You want to make sure you do something to score that run,” Smith said. “It won’t always happen like that, but that’s certainly what you’re trying to do.”

The inning started with Jonathan Schoop reaching on a throwing error by New York third baseman Chase Headley, a miscue that proved very costly.

“There’s a lot of firepower in that lineup, and you’ve got to keep them off the bases,” Headley said. “Unfortunately, I made a mistake.”

Donnie Hart (1-0) earned his first major league victory by getting the final out in the New York seventh. Brad Brach struck out the side in the eighth and Zach Britton got three straight outs for his second save.

After sweeping Toronto in their opening series, the Orioles are 3-0 and alone atop the AL East.