BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles were masters of seduction on Wednesday night. They patiently watched first pitch after first pitch from Masahiro Tanaka, perhaps giving him the idea that he could steal a strike.
Then, when Tanaka most needed to jump ahead in the count, the Orioles pounced. Adam Jones hit a three-run homer and a run-scoring double, and Mark Trumbo hit a two-run double that fooled right fielder Aaron Judge — all on rare first-pitch swings against Tanaka. Those hits doomed the Yankees in a 10-4 defeat.
The Yankees’ lead in the American League East was reduced to two games over Boston as they headed to Toronto, which is getting hot and healthy after a dreadful start.