Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Jones, center rounds the bases past third base coach Bobby Dickerson after hitting a solo home run during a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Baltimore, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Baltimore- The Baltimore Orioles, fighting to gain ground in the race for the second Wild Card slot, slammed four home runs against A’s pitching Monday night in the first game of the three-game series. The A’s hit two solo home runs but fell to the Orioles 7-3. The Orioles’ lineup is loaded with power hitters, and they can knock the ball out of the park that is a hitters’ paradise, Camden Yards.

The A’s took an early lead in the second inning. It didn’t last long as the O’s tied the game in the bottom of the frame. In the fourth, the O’s took the lead for good when Adam Jones blasted his twenty-third of the year into the left field seats.

The Orioles put the game out of reach in the fifth. They sent nine men to the plate as they tallied four runs. Chris Smith walked former A’s outfielder Seth Smith to start the inning. Manny Machado reached on a fielding error by Matt Chapman. The error was the 100th of the year committed by the A’s. The next hitter, All-Star Jonathan Schoop homered. That blast finished Chris Smith’s night. Bob Melvin brought in Ryan Dull to pitch. Adam Jones took Dull deep for his second of the night and 24th of the season. It was Jones second two-homer game this year and twelfth of his career. The O’s lead 6-1 after five.

The A’s Jed Lowrie hit a solo homer in the sixth, and center-fielder Boog Powell hit the first of his career in the eighth. Powell’s ball was hit way back in right field and landed in the BBQ place owned by the former Orioles star first baseman, the original Boog Powell.

O’s catcher Wellington Castillo homered in the eighth to make the final score 7-3.

Game Notes-  Adam Jones of the Orioles was the hitting star of the night as he went four-for-four and had two home runs. Lefty Wade Miley, who beat the A’s in Oakland a few days ago, did it again. Miley went six innings and allowed just five hits and two runs. His record improved to 7-10.  The A’s Chris Smith absorbed his third loss and is 0-3 for the season.

The A’s Boog Powell is scheduled to meet the O’s  Boog Powell Tuesday afternoon sometime before the start of the game.

The A’s are now 54-71 while the Orioles improve to 61-64.

Game two of the series will be played Tuesday night at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Game time is set for 4:05 pm

Paul Blackburn will pitch for the A’s and Ubaldo Jiminez will go for the Orioles