Machado homers again in 3-2 loss

OAKLAND - Manny Machado didn't hit home runs in each of the first three innings tonight. If anyone made that wager, the money could have been spent more wisely.

He had to settle for one monstrous shot in a losing cause.

Machado grounded out in the first inning, scored J.J. Hardy with a foul popup in the third, lined to short in the sixth and hit a solo homer with two outs in the eighth in the Orioles' 3-2 loss to the last-place Athletics before only 10,407.

The Orioles (63-48) are tied with the Blue Jays for first place in the American League East. They're 24-31 on the road.

Machado, accompanied by the usual chorus of boos in Oakland, drove a Ryan Dull pitch an estimated 446 feet for his 26th home run and fourth in two games. He got the last word, a small victory on a night when no others were forthcoming.

Billy Butler singled with two outs in the sixth to score Stephen Vogt, who drew a leadoff walk off Kevin Gausman, and break a 1-1 tie. The A's were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position before Butler came through.

Reliever Logan Ondrusek gave up Vogt's two-out RBI single in the seventh after walking No. 9 hitter Ryon Healy to start the inning.

Gausman allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, with two walks, six strikeouts, a home run and a wild pitch. He threw 100 pitches, 55 for strikes, before Ondrusek replaced him.

Vogt led off the bottom of the fourth with a game-tying home run, and Butler's RBI single guaranteed that Gausman would remain winless in road starts since Aug. 17, 2014.

There's so much foul territory at O.co Coliseum, Hardy was able to tag up and score on Machado's popup to first baseman Yonder Alonzo, who ran down the ball with his back to the infield. But the Orioles couldn't give Kendall Graveman the usual beating.

Chris Davis grounded out to end the third inning. Adam Jones was stranded in the fifth after a two-out single and Matt Wieters was stranded in the seventh after a one-out single.

Gausman stranded Coco Crisp at second base after a leadoff double in the first inning, an important moment in the game if you consider the right-hander's early struggles this season. Gausman had allowed 13 runs in the first for a 5.68 ERA before tonight's game.

If only the Orioles could have dialed up some run support, but that's usually not available to Gausman.

Jones singled in the first, third and fifth innings.