Davis homers twice to lift Orioles past the Yankees
Baltimore - Chris Davis homered twice to raise his major league-leading total to 30, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Yankees 11-3 Saturday night to extend New York's losing streak to four games.
Davis hit a three-run drive in the first inning and added a two-run shot in the sixth, his third multihomer game of the season. The five RBIs gave him 79, second-most in the big leagues and just six short of his career high.
Ryan Flaherty also homered for the Orioles, who built a 9-0 lead in the third against David Phelps (5-5).
Baltimore will seek to complete a three-game sweep today.
Zach Britton (2-2) limited the offensively challenged, injury-riddled Yankees to one earned run over 5 2-3 innings. New York began the day ranked 26th in batting average and 23rd in runs among the 30 major league teams.
The Yankees have lost 12 of 17 to fall within four games of .500 (42-38) for the first time since April 26 (13-9). In addition, New York has dropped four straight in Baltimore during a single season for the first time since 1982.
Phelps surrendered nine hits and a career-high nine runs in 2 1-3 innings. The right-hander was 4-0 in his last nine starts against AL East foes since Aug. 27, 2012.
After Britton worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, Baltimore batted around in the bottom half. Singles by Manny Machado, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones produced a run before Davis got under a 2-1 pitch and sent it soaring into the bullpen area beyond the center-field wall for a 4-0 lead.
The Orioles added five runs in the third. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Chris Dickerson, who singled in two runs. Flaherty followed with a three-run shot to chase Phelps, who was replaced by Ivan Nova.
New York chased Britton in the sixth. After Zoilo Almonte hit a sacrifice fly, another run scored when Davis booted Lyle Overbay's two-out grounder to first. With the bases loaded, Jair Jurrjens came in and retired Austin Romine on a fly ball.
Davis homered off Nova in the bottom half after a single by Markakis. The 30 home runs matched the franchise record before the All-Star break, set by Brady Anderson in 1996.
Successive doubles by Chris Stewart and Brett Garner off Pedro Strop made it 11-3 in the ninth.
• Alex Rodriguez says he feels great and his relationship with the New York Yankees is fine.
Rodriguez didn't indicate when he will start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment or rejoin the big league team, saying Saturday he "can't wait to get back."
The All-Star third baseman is taking at-bats at the Yankees' minor league complex.
His rehabilitation became a point of contention this past week.
Rodriguez posted Tuesday evening on Twitter that his hip surgeon had cleared him to play in rehab games, an announcement that angered general manager Brian Cashman because Rodriguez has not been cleared by team doctors.
When asked if everything is OK with the Yankees, Rodriguez said "absolutely."
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