Jones, Orioles fall just short in 5-4 loss to Yankees

NEW YORK (AP) -- Adam Jones fell to the ground on the warning track in right-center, having nearly come up with a great catch on an Alex Rodriguez drive at the top of wall.

It was that kind of night for the Baltimore Orioles, who fell just short as their losing streak stretched to four.

"I was there. I'm just mad I didn't catch it," the Gold Glove center fielder said after Friday night's 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees.

Jones banged into the wall with his left side and shoulder. As he jumped at the fence, the ball deflected off the wall, perhaps glancing off the outstretched glove of a fan. Rodriguez wound up with his first triple since July 2012.

"I think he's going to be a little sore tomorrow. The only thing he said when I got out there was `I should have caught that ball,'" Orioles manager Buck Showalter recalled. "I looked at the replay between innings and couldn't tell if it was the shoulder or a ribcage. We'll see."

Showalter came out from the dugout to check on Jones, a four-time Gold Glove winner.

"He plays the game so hard you, wonder why more of that doesn't happen," the manager said. "It's never about drama with him. Unlike so many of the other guys, if he's down for more than a second, he got a pretty good bang out there."

Brian McCann hit a two-run homer in the first against Miguel Gonzalez (3-2) following Rodriguez's sacrifice fly and Carlos Beltran, batting just .187 at the start of the night, had a two-run double in the third as New York built a 5-0 lead.

Gonzalez allowed five runs and five hits in four innings, his shortest start since April 2014. Baltimore dropped to 12-15, matching its season worst of three games under .500.

"I was missing by a little bit," Gonzalez said. "It's tough because we know that they're hitting the ball really well, and you can't make any mistakes, especially early in the game."

Left-hander T.J. McFarland, recalled from Triple-A Norfolk when Kevin Gausman went on the disabled list due to right shoulder tendinitis, relieved Gonzalez. McFarland had been scheduled to start for the Tides against Buffalo and was still in Virginia at 2:30 p.m.

He arrived at Yankee Stadium about six hours later and said he took the mound only 15 minutes after that.

"Crazy day. One minute I thought I was starting a game down in Norfolk, and then I'm coming in in the fifth inning," he said. "I showed up in the bullpen and the phone was already ringing when I opened the door."

He had exited LaGuardia Airport quickly.

"I couldn't wait even 10 minutes," he said. "Left my luggage behind, and somebody picked me up. But I have my stuff now."

Adam Warren took a shutout into the fifth but was removed one out short of qualifying for a win after Manny Machado's RBI single and Delmon Young's run-scoring groundout.

Jimmy Paredes hit a two-run single in the sixth off Chris Martin, but Dellin Betances (4-0) retired four straight batters for the win and Andrew Miller, New York's fifth pitcher, got three straight outs against the team he finished last year with to remain perfect in 13 save chances.

"That's a two-headed monster right there," Jones said.

TWO-SPORT ATHLETE

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer, who led the Buckeyes to this year's national title, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, two days after an appendectomy. He was selected Atlanta in the 1982 amateur draft and hit .182 during two seasons as an infielder in the Braves minor league system.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Orioles: Gausman's DL stint was made retroactive to Thursday.

Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (wrist tendinitis and forearm strain) made 25 throws from 60 feet and 25 from 90 feet, his second day of activity since going on the DL on April 29.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Wei-Yin Chen (0-1) is 2-4 with a 5.18 ERA in 10 starts against the Yankees going into Saturday's outing.

Yankees: Chase Whitley (1-0) starts Saturday after allowing one run over 12 innings in his first two starts of the season for New York.

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