Orioles finally fall behind (O's win 9-4)

The game time temperature at Camden Yards the past three nights has been 90, 89 and 88 degrees. If this keeps up, I'm breaking out my sweater.

Mark Teixeira singled with two outs in the first inning to score Chase Headley, and he raced home on Brian McCann's double off the out-of-town scoreboard in right field to give the Yankees a quick 2-0 lead. The Orioles hadn't trailed during this homestand before tonight.

McCann's ball bounced past Delmon Young in right field, enabling Teixeira to score from first base on a close play at the plate.

The Orioles were batting .315 in the first four games and their pitchers registered a 2.50 ERA - including 4.05 by the starters in 20 innings. The team hasn't committed an error.

Bud Norris threw 23 pitches in the inning. He's now given up six runs each in the first, second and third innings this season, and 12 in the fourth.

Norris began tonight 1-3 with an 11.95 ERA in five starts against division opponents.

Norris has gone 162 starts without a complete game to begin his career, the second-longest streak among active players. Max Scherzer went 178 starts without one before registering his first complete game on June 12, 2014.

Norris' current streak is the seventh-longest among starting pitchers since 1914. Tony Armas ranks sixth with 167.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter is trying to avoid using two of his relievers tonight, including Mike Wright, who is scheduled to start on Sunday. He's also trying to stay away from Brad Brach, who's pitched the past two nights.

The bullpen has been outstanding on the current homestand, allowing only one earned run in 16 innings - David Ortiz's home run off Chaz Roe. Relievers have combined for seven hits, three walks and 17 strikeouts.

Since April 29, the Orioles bullpen ranks third in the majors with a 2.26 ERA, allowing 30 earned runs in 119 1/3 innings. Opponents are batting .211 in that span, which also ranks third in the majors.

The Orioles are a combined 10-2 the past two seasons while third baseman Manny Machado and reliever Brian Matusz have served their suspensions.

Earlier today, Showalter was asked for his opinion on the selection process for the All-Star Game and how the Royals have seven players who would start if voting ended today.

"There are things in place to make sure that people who are statistically deserving go. And then there are things in place that allow fans to make sure that people that they want to see are there, too," Showalter said.

"I'm big on rewarding teams for what they do during the regular season. Whoever has the best record should have the home field advantage. We're all playing interleague play. If I win 97 games and you win 98, you should have the home field advantage in the World Series. I don't know if you have to know that far ahead in advance to get the hotels and book the stadiums and move the football teams around. I don't know. Do we have to know earlier?

"I like when people get rewarded for what they do during the regular season. Everything should matter, that last game. Make every game matter."

Update: Nolan Reimold hit a two-run homer to right field to tie the game 2-2 in the third inning. Reimold has homered twice since being called up on Tuesday.

Reimold is 10-for-29 with two home runs lifetime against CC Sabathia.

On Sabathia's previous pitch before the home run, McCann and Teixeira allowed Reimold's pop-up to drop in front of the Orioles dugout.

Norris has retired 10 of 11 batters since McCann's RBI double in the first.

Update II: Manny Machado hit a two-run homer in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie. Machado has 11 homers this season.

Reimold followed with a triple, but Sabathia retired the next three batters to strand him at third base. Reimold has six career triples, the most recent before tonight coming on Sept. 27, 2011.

Update III: Chase Headley led off the sixth with a single and Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer to tie the game 4-4.

Rodriguez has 2,001 RBIs in his career. He joins Hank Aaron as the only players in major leauge history to reach 2,000. Rodriguez also has 2,995 hits.

Norris is out of the game after Didi Gregorius' double with two outs in the sixth. He allowed four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, with no walks, five strikeouts and a home run. He threw 86 pitches, 60 for strikes.

Update IV: Matt Wieters led off the bottom of the sixth with a double off reliever Chris Martin, took third on a wild pitch and scored on J.J. Hardy's single into center field.

Ryan Flaherty singled and Machado delivered a two-run single. Orioles 7, Yankees 4.

Machado is 14-for-29 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his last seven games. His four RBIs tonight tie his career high.

Update V: David Lough, batting for Delmon Young in the seventh, hit his first career pinch-hit home run to give the Orioles an 8-4 lead. Umpires initially ruled it a triple before the call was overturned.

Lough hadn't homered since April 25 off Boston's Koji Uehara. The Orioles didn't have a pinch-hit home run since Chris Davis went deep against the White Sox on June 23, 2014.

Matt Wieters stroked his second double of the night and scored on Steve Pearce's double. Orioles 9, Yankees 4.

The Orioles have scored 31 runs in their last four games.

Update VI: The Orioles extended their winning streak to six games with a 9-4 win over the Yankees before 38,909 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles (31-30) have won eight of their last nine and are above .500 for the first time since May 3.

The bullpen has allowed one run in 19 1/3 innings during the homestand.

Showalter's 408 wins with Orioles are third-most in franchise history.