The Oakland Athletics are 40-10 when they score first this season.
The Orioles are 17-34 when their opponent scores first, and they have a losing record in day games and on Sundays.
Those are the challenges facing the Orioles, who fell behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
Kevin Gausman allowed a leadoff single to Coco Crisp and RBI triple to John Jaso. A wild pitch brought home the second run.
Crisp is now 3-for-4 with a home run against Gausman, who went exclusively with his fastball to the first few hitters.
Crisp saw six of them and singled on a 97 mph heater. Jaso jumped on the first pitch, clocked at 93 mph. Josh Donaldson lined to right on a 99 mph fastball to end the inning.
Gausman had allowed only one run in the first inning before today.
The Orioles are 15-19 in day games and 6-9 on Sundays, though they've won four of seven on the road.
The Blue Jays won today, climbing within 3 1/2 games of the Orioles in the American League East. The Yankees and Reds are tied 2-2 in the ninth inning.
Instant update: The Yankees also won, so they also move within 3 1/2 games of the Orioles.
Manager Buck Showalter laid out Ubaldo Jimenez's schedule before the break, saying the right-hander would throw twice in the bullpen, including today, and make a rehab start Wednesday if the ankle didn't flare up.
Triple-A Norfolk is home Wednesday night and the Orioles could send him there before activating him on July 29 following a 10-game West Coast trip.
Update II: Yoenis Cespedes singled in the third and later scored on Josh Donaldson's sacrifice fly to increase Oakland's lead to 3-0.
Adam Jones made the catch and trotted toward the dugout, thinking there were three outs. Nope. Still needed one more.
Update III: The A's must lead the majors in broken-bat bloop hits.
Jaso plated another run in the fourth with a soft single into left field. The Orioles are down 4-0 and they still don't have a hit off Sonny "50 Shades Of" Gray.
Gausman has struck out six batters and thrown 84 pitches. T.J. McFarland was warming in the visiting bullpen.
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