Wrapping up an 8-1 win

NEW YORK - The Orioles sit atop the wild card mountain again.

The Blue Jays lost to the Red Sox 5-3 and enabled the Orioles to take sole possession of the top wild card. A rainy, windy night never looked so good to a team that refuses to be counted out.

The Tigers won and are now a half-game behind for the second wild card.

Manager Buck Showalter said he accidentally checked the scoreboard, but never on purpose.

"Not much at all until I had no choice because it was right behind the pitcher's head every time I looked out there," Showalter said after an 8-1 win over the Yankees. "I caught a couple glimpses, but I don't watch it that much. I really don't. I watch our scoreboard a lot."

Showalter saw six runs scored in the fifth inning on home runs by Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo and Jonathan Schoop. He saw Schoop deliver a two-run double in the fourth that broke a scoreless tie.

Schoop had five hits in his last 10 at-bats after the three-run homer, a drastic turnaround from his 0-for-22 skid.

"I know it's baseball and my teammates, they help me a lot," he said. "Everybody goes through it and you've got to keep your focus and you've got to keep believing in yourself and come through."

Schoop's two-run double came after back-to-back two-out singles by Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy.

"It's big," Schoop said. "The runs score and it's big for the team and for the pitcher and you keep adding more and get a W. It's a good win."

A win that gets the Orioles a step closer to the postseason, and perhaps to a home wild card game.

"That's why we say in spring training that's the goal, the playoffs, and we've got two more games," Schoop said. "We've got tomorrow and then the next day and get in the playoffs.

"Everybody believes in each other. Since Day One we believe in each other because nobody believed in us, but we believed in each other and for us to go to the playoffs."

Schoop is the first Oriole with five RBIs at the current Yankee Stadium and the most in the Bronx since Jones on July 28, 2008. It matches the most RBIs by a visiting player at Yankee Stadium this season.

"Jon, that (double) was a big blow to right field to put us ahead 2-0 and then got us some tack-on after other guys have done some damage," Showalter said.

"Crazy wind, though. Catching popups, there was no routine play out there tonight. That was a challenge. You got to really want something to grind through that.

"That's about as tough as you ever want to play in. That was tough. You've really got to be ready to play."

Rain fell throughout the day and night, creating large puddles on the warning track. But the game started on time and proceeded without interruption, and no one was hurt.

"Worry? Yeah, but it's what we do," Showalter said. "Have you walked around some of these cities we're in? There's caution you take in all things. What are you going to do, forfeit?"

The Orioles hit three home runs in an inning for the 10th time this season, tops in the majors.

"It's always the end game, the end product," Showalter said. "Do you have more runs than they do after 27 outs, sometimes 30 outs, sometimes (more)? How we get there? If it's not conventional, maybe that fits us really well.

"There's a lot of experts aren't too conventional, either. We do some things that make people scratch their head, but we don't. We know what we're after and how we get there, we don't care. It doesn't have to look aesthetically pleasing."

Yovani Gallardo held the Yankees to one run and two hits over six innings, and the rotation continues to come up big down the stretch.

"It's been like that the past few games, we've been getting some real solid starts," Showalter said. "Our guys gave him some margin for error. I thought when we scored the six, for him to go out there and throw a zero up there, that was big. We were a wet ball away from him pitching six shutout innings."

Gallardo is fighting for a spot on the playoff roster if the Orioles reach the American League Division Series. They won't need five or six starters.

"No matter what the situation is, whenever I'm asked upon to go out there and pitch, I'm going to go out there and pitch," Gallardo said. "There are certain things that I can't control. The only thing I can do is go out there and do the most that I can for the guys playing behind me out on the field. It's whatever comes down with that, we all just want to win.

"We want to win no matter what the situations. We're all one group. I've been feeling good. In my past two starts, I've been throwing the ball pretty well, so we'll see."

Gallardo completed six innings in consecutive starts for the first time since Aug. 5-10. He's allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last four starts.

Tonight's outing was only his second of at least six innings and two hits or fewer allowed since the start of 2013. And he did it in deplorable conditions.

"It's tough," he said. "It's definitely tough for both sides. The situation is, it was just consistent. It never really stopped. It was just one of those things where it was hard to grip the ball and that sort of thing, and slipping off the mound and whatever.

"It gets tough for everybody in the field, but my main focus was after we got the lead was get the guys to swing the bat, throw the ball over the plate. The last thing you want to do is start walking guys and getting yourself into trouble. When I did, I was able to make some pitches.

"I felt good. My last two starts just have been a lot better, a lot more around the plate. When I do find myself in trouble, I'm able to make a pitch and get out of it. It's just a matter of keep going, keep moving forward and just work everything ahead."

The Orioles went 16-11 in September after posting losing months in July and August.

"It's tough, and our guys know it's a 'what have you done for me lately' world," Showalter said. "We'll do it again in a few hours. Guys worked on real short sleep last night. For some reason, we played a night game yesterday and for some reason, it was 2 1/2 hours getting out of the airport in Toronto. Guys got to bed about 5:00 this morning, short sleep and be ready again tomorrow.

"They know what's at stake and they aren't going to not give themselves an opportunity to get a chance."