Orioles split doubleheader, lose ground to Yankees

BALTIMORE -- J.P. Arencibia broke open a tight game with a seventh-inning grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Baltimore, 9-5, Monday night to earn a doubleheader split and drop the Orioles 11/2 games out of first place in the AL East.

In the opener, Adam Jones went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs to lead Baltimore to a 4-1 victory. The Orioles fell behind 4-0 in the nightcap and missed several bases-loaded chances to take the lead before Arencibia connected off Jake Arrieta to give Toronto a 9-4 lead.

Juan Encarnacion hit his 41st home run for the Blue Jays, who snapped a seven-game skid. Arencibia, who came into the game mired in a 2-for-36 slump, finished with three hits and five RBIs.

Jones' four hits in the opener tied a career high. He has hit safely in 18 of 22 games in September, with six home runs and 13 RBIs. "Adam relishes competition," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He's obviously had a heck of a year. He's turning into quite a player." Now in his seventh season, Jones has already set a career high with 32 homers, and his two runs scored put him over 100 for the first time.

Orioles rookie Steve Johnson (4-0) allowed three hits over five shutout innings to lower his ERA to 1.62.

-- AP