OAKLAND — The Baltimore Orioles know how to punish a pitcher for mistake pitches.
Chris Smith found out the hard way.
The Orioles twice homered on back-to-back pitches off the right-hander as Baltimore hung a 7-2 loss on the A’s to begin a four-game series at the Coliseum.
Baltimore, despite being a game under .500, finds itself very much in the American League Wild Card chase, and the Orioles must be looking at this extended weekend stay in Oakland as a chance to make a move.
The A’s would like to spoil their chances, but that’s only going to happen if their starting pitching turns things around.