Nursing a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday, Orioles pitchers Wei-Yin Chen and Pedro Strop combined to allow three runs to give up the lead for good in a 4-3 defeat.

The loss dropped the Orioles back to three games behind the Yankees in the American League East, a day after Baltimore beat New York, 6-1, in the Bronx.

Despite the loss, the Orioles once again showed they could play with the AL's top teams. Outfielder Nate McLouth and third baseman Manny Machado each drove in one run apiece during the first and second innings. Catcher Matt Wieters hit a solo home run during the fourth, giving the impression the Birds' magic was going to continue.

But the Yankees responded in the fourth inning with a Robinson Cano homer, and Eduardo Nunez and Derek Jeter each got an RBI during the seventh to tie the game at 3. Strop induced what looked to be an inning-ending groundout, but Nick Swisher reached on an error by J.J. Hardy, which allowed Nunez to score the final run.

Posted Sept. 1, 2012