Orioles' losing streak reaches six games with 4-1 loss (updated)

A shot up the middle deflects off Andrew Cashner's glove and finds the grass in center field. A fly ball to deep center hits the heel of Adam Jones' glove as he attempts a leaping catch, his face smacking into the padded fence as the tie-breaking run scores on a triple.

Same inning. Same result at the end.

The Orioles couldn't catch a couple of balls or any breaks. They also couldn't score much against struggling Yankees starter Sonny Gray, who held them to one run over six innings in a 4-1 win before an announced fireworks/concert crowd of 26,500 at Camden Yards.

Austin Romine expanded the lead to 3-1 in the sixth inning with a two-out double that scored Didi Gregorius, and the Orioles fell to 17-40 with their sixth loss in a row and 12th in the last 16 games. They've scored nine runs in the last seven games and 24 in the last 12, and have been held to three runs or fewer in 12 of the last 13.

The 2017 team didn't lose its 40th game until June 30.

Aaron Judge homered off Tanner Scott in the seventh, launching a slider an estimated 438 feet to left field with an exit velocity of 108.9 mph. Scott struck out the side, but Judge almost took out a row of seats.

Manny Machado hit his 17th home run, an opposite-field shot off Gray in the first inning to give the Orioles a quick 1-0 lead. They've now been outscored 64-29 in the first.

The Orioles put two runners on base against reliever Chad Green with two outs in the seventh and pinch-hitter Pedro Alvarez struck out on three pitches to lower his average to .188. Dellin Betances issued back-to-back walks and hit Mark Trumbo with one out in the eighth, but Jonathan Schoop struck out and Chris Davis flied to center.

The pinch-hitting options in the ninth against Aroldis Chapman included Craig Gentry, who struck out looking and almost reached first base before realizing he hadn't walked, and Andrew Susac, who struck out swinging. Danny Valencia stood on deck.

The game could have gotten away from Cashner in the third after the first four Yankees reached to tie the score 1-1 and the bases were loaded with no outs. Cashner went upstairs with 95 mph heat to strike out Judge and he got a force at home on Greg Bird's grounder to Davis and the final out on Giancarlo Stanton's grounder to Machado.

A 21-pitch inning had the potential to bury the Orioles. It was the fifth that ultimately decided the outcome.

Cashner stranded Aaron Hicks in the fourth after a one-out double. Rookie Gleyber Torres, whose single in the second tied the game, led off the fifth with a double and was out trying for the triple. Trey Mancini let the ball get past him, but recovered and made the throw as Torres was losing his left shoe.

Brett Gardner followed with his single up the middle on a ball that Cashner could only touch. Judge flied out, but Bird followed with a drive to deep center that Jones tracked down but couldn't handle. Jones was slow to get up after whipping the ball back to the infield. The Orioles stayed down.

Their defense failed Cashner again in the sixth when Romine's fly ball in right-center field sailed over Joey Rickard's glove as he veered into the gap. Rickard didn't get back on the ball and the improper angle cost Cashner a run.

Didi Gregorius scored after his leadoff single and stolen base. The last 12 runners attempting to steal off rookie Chance Sisco have been successful since he was 9-for-18.

Cashner turned in his fifth quality start with three runs and nine hits allowed over six innings. He walked one batter, struck out four and threw 98 pitches. Tonight marked the first time in Cashner's last four starts that he completed the sixth.

The Orioles are challenged to score no matter who's starting. Gray carried a 5.98 ERA and 1.711 WHIP into tonight's game. He was averaging 5.1 walks per nine innings. He exited after the sixth tonight with one run, four hits and no walks.

Gray, hearing some boos from Yankees fans, put two runners on base in the second on Schoop's leadoff double and the sixth pitch this season to hit Sisco, but Rickard struck out. Schoop was 3-for-20 with seven strikeouts in his last five games and Judge almost robbed him with a diving attempt.

Trumbo led off the fourth with a single, but Davis' double play grounder ended the inning. Machado singled with two outs in the sixth after Gray had retired seven in a row and 11 of 12. Again, the Orioles camp away empty when Trumbo struck out.

Down on the farm, Hunter Harvey lasted only two innings tonight at Double-A Bowie and allowed five runs and six hits with one walk and two home runs. He threw 35 pitches in the first and 24 in the second. The first four batters reached on a walk, triple, double and triple.

Zach Britton retired the side in order in the third on three ground balls. He threw eight pitches, six for strikes.

Colby Rasmus grounded out, walked, lined out and struck out. He played right field.

Manager Buck Showalter on Cashner: "A lot of our outings sometimes look that different because we're not scoring any runs. He gave up three runs in six innings to a very good lineup. That's usually a recipe for a very good chance to win, so you can't fault him.

"Mike Wright very quietly his last three or four appearances has been real good. Little tick up in his velocity. Mike's been impressive. Cash gave us a chance. We're just not scoring any runs. It's a familiar refrain. We just haven't strung much together. Obviously, their two guys at the end are really good, especially working with a generous strike zone there. That's obvious."

Showalter on Gray: "Just like all their guys, they have the lowest fastball rate. A lot of breaking balls, two of them, the slider and the (curveball). The command of his fastball kind of came and went. But he always had the two breaking balls to go to.

"Changeup wasn't really there. It was there a little bit, but not much. But we didn't have many left-handed batters to see it much off of. But there was no pattern with the two breaking. You could probably look back at it. He threw a lot of them. We knew that going in."

Showalter on what can be done about offense: "There's some other options. There are some other things you can do. Dan (Duquette) and I talk about some things almost every day, so we'll keep looking at other ways to approach it. As soon as the game ends, we talk about something different for tomorrow. You throw out a lot of them and then we back off and let them go.

"Just there's only so long before you have to do some things. You keep waiting. The pitchers are good. This is the big leagues. But we've been better in these situations in the past. We've had over two months of baseball, so it's been a challenge for us."

Showalter on Machado maintaining excellence: "Nothing that hasn't already been said, nothing that hasn't already been thought by us and I'm sure you and the fans. He's just, Manny's been locked in since the first day of spring. I actually think he's gotten, I don't want to say more comfortable, but ... he seems a lot more at ease with all the plays now at shortstop. He has settled in there nicely, too.

"I don't know if you could ask anybody to play at that level all year, but sometimes it makes you think he might."

Showalter on plays not made tonight: "Those are hard hit balls. I understand. I'm more concerned about runs scoring, but that is something that we really wanted to be better at this year and, at times, we have been. And at times it hasn't been there for us. So, I understand what you're saying, I'm well aware of it. But it's not from lack of effort. I'll leave it at that."

Cashner on how he pitched: "I thought I had a good feel. The things I've struggled with I did a lot better tonight. Thought I got back on my sinker. I located my fastball for the most part and got my off-speed going early."

Cashner on whether third inning set the tone: "Yeah. I was really trying to get a double play there. I got the three ground balls, but it just didn't kind of go my way. But I was able to get out of it and thought it was kind of something you build off of in the game."

Cashner on how tough season has been for him: "Yeah, it's been difficult, but you've just got to show up and try to win today. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you. You've got to try to keep picking each other up. You can't cash it in. You've got to keep grinding every day."

Cashner on whether close to different outing if some plays are made: "Yeah, it happens, but at the same time I could make a better pitch and not allow that stuff to happen, so it's on me."

Cashner on Machado still having great season: "He's a star player. That's what star players do. It's pretty fun to watch him every night. It's pretty crazy how good he is."

Cashner on how to focus on getting outs and ignore offensive woes: "I don't focus on the offense. My job is to make pitches. I mean, they'll turn it around. I believe in all the guys we have in here. It's just time for me to make pitches."

Mancini on offensive issues again: "It's extremely frustrating. Cashner went out and threw a great game tonight. Everybody in the bullpen did a great job, too, so it's frustrating for us as an offense and as a team that we can't put up runs here."

Mancini on Gray: "He was hitting all his spots, at least to me. From the side, sometimes it's hard to see where he locates against the other guys, but he's kind of coming hard and in. His curveball was really sharp and it was tough to hit. But yeah, my first at-bat with a runner on third, I've got to find a way to get him in there.

"He did make some good pitches and got a little bit of a battle, but I've got to find a way to get them in there."

Mancini on thinking each night is the time it turns around: "You have to think that every day. You can't come to the field and expect to fail. It's hard when things aren't going your way. You're not feeling good and we're not winning, it can kind of spiral out of control and you have got to find a way to come here and put everything that's happened before behind you and kind of start fresh.

"I tried to do that today on a personal level. New month, it's June, so you try to turn the page and just kind of start new and hopefully we can do that starting tomorrow."