BALTIMORE _ There was no carryover from one of the Yankees' worst losses of the season.
With Aaron Judge providing early power and Sonny Gray again providing consistency on the mound, the Yankees earned their first series victory at Camden Yards since 2013 with a 9-1 win over the Orioles Thursday. The Yankees (75-64) moved within 3 { games of the idle Red Sox in the AL East.
The Yankees, wearing black armbands in honor of longtime executive Gene "Stick" Michael, who passed away Wednesday morning, totaled 13 hits, including four homers.
"I'm sure he'd be happy how the game went today," said Gardner, who went 2-for-3 with two walks. "We don't usually leave here winning a series, especially not recently, so it's a good feeling."
The Yankees, who had lost 11 straight series here, drove Kevin Gausman from the game after three innings. Gausman (10-10, 4.99) allowed five runs and five hits.
Without Gary Sanchez, who returns from his three-game suspension Friday night in Arlington, Texas, the Yankees outscored the Orioles, 22-12, in the three-game series. They could have swept it if not for Manny Machado's two-out, two-run walk-off homer off Dellin Betances Tuesday night.
"We've been playing our ballgame," Judge said. "Just kind of passing the baton, getting those clutch hits with runners on."
Gray (9-9, 3.22) allowed an unearned run, six hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out five.
Judge hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning, the rookie's 39th home run, tying him for the AL lead, and Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in runs in the third to make it 5-0.
Chase Headley's 12th homer, a two-run shot in the third off Mike Wright, extended the lead to 7-0. Starlin Castro's shot to left-center, his 14th, off Donnie Hart in the sixth made it 8-0. After a Didi Gregorius error led to Baltimore's run in the sixth, Todd Frazier got it back in the seventh with his 23rd home run, off Richard Rodriguez.
The outburst was a welcome change for Gray, who had been victimized by a lack of run support in his time with the Yankees. Gray entered the day 2-4 with a 3.16 ERA for the Yankees, who totaled three runs in the four losses.
"He's done a really good job of not letting it bother him," Joe Girardi said.
He had a quick lead Thursday. Gardner led off with a walk after falling behind 0-and-2. "That's a Stick special," Girardi said of one of Michael's philosophies. "Make the pitcher work."
After Headley struck out, Gardner stole second. Castro battled for 10 pitches, striking out on a full-count, 97-mph fastball, but Gregorius pulled a 1-and-2 splitter down the first-base line for an RBI double. Judge teed off on a fastball up in the zone, pounding it to centerfield to make it 3-0.
The Yankees all but put it away in the third. Gregorius had a one-out infield hit, and Judge drew his league-leading 105th walk. Holliday lined a run-scoring single to right that allowed Judge to take third. Judge scored on Ellsbury's 4-6 forceout to make it 5-0.
"It was definitely nice taking the mound with a three-run lead," Gray said. "But what was more impressive was we didn't just stop. We kept putting the pressure on them. And that's something you have to do, especially when you score runs early, continue to put some more runs on the board, which we did."
