NEW YORK – Yankees pitcher Kevin Brown broke his non-throwing hand punching a clubhouse wall in frustration during the New York’s 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

The pitching-weak Yankees, whose AL East lead over second-place Boston was cut to 21/2 games, did not immediately know how long the right-hander would be sidelined.

“You just cant do this,” general manager Brian Cashman said.

“You’ve got to keep your emotions in check.”

Brown (10-4) dropped to 1-3 in his last five starts and 3-8 lifetime against Baltimore. He allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked two.

The oft-injured right-hander appeared to tweak his ankle while covering first base on an awkward play that ended the fifth, but he lasted another inning. He punched the wall after the sixth.

“He’s a horse, we all count on him,” teammate Alex Rodriguez said. “It’s just an unfortunate situation.”

New York’s division lead has not been this small since before games of June 12.

Rodrigo Lopez shut down the Yankees into the eighth inning, Miguel Tejada got his major league-leading 122nd RBI, and the streaky Orioles won their fifth straight following a 12-game losing streak.

They improved to 3-11 against New York this season, winning for only the sixth time in the last 24 matchups.

Derek Jeter homered in the first inning for the Yankees, who lost for the first time since Tuesday’s record-setting 22-0 defeat against Cleveland.

Lopez (11-8) allowed six hits and struck out seven in a season-high 7 1-3 innings, taking over the team lead in wins.

He entered with a 13.50 ERA in three appearances against the Yankees this season. It was his first victory in four starts.

Lopez allowed a leadoff double to Miguel Cairo in the eighth, but he was stranded when Jason Grimsley got Jeter and Gary Sheffield on easy groundouts to end the inning.

Tigers 4, Devil Rays 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Before the storm, the Detroit Tigers sent Tampa Bay to one more loss.

The remainder of the three-game series on Saturday and Sunday was postponed because of Hurricane Frances, which was approaching Florida. The games will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sept. 30.

Athletics 7, Blue Jays 4

TORONTO -Bobby Kielty hit a go-ahead homer off Ted Lilly – the pitcher he was traded for – and Nick Swisher doubled and walked twice in his major league debut to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4.

Angels 10, Indians 5

CLEVELAND – Troy Glaus homered for the first time since May 11 to power the Anaheim Angels past the Cleveland Indians 10-5 to snap a three-game losing streak.

Twins 2, Royals 0

MINNEAPOLIS – Johan Santana pitched a no-hitter through six, finishing with seven shutout innings for the Minnesota Twins in a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Phillies 8, Mets 1

PHILADELPHIA – Gavin Floyd, the fourth overall pick in the 2001 draft, made the most of his major league debut, holding the Mets to four hits over seven innings to give the Philadelphia Phillies an 8-1 victory over the Mets.

Braves 7, Expos 1

MONTREAL -Paul Byrd pitched eight strong innings and Eli Marrero homered to help the Atlanta Braves extend their winning streak to four games with a 7-1 victory over the Montreal Expos.

Cardinals 3, Dodgers 0

ST. LOUIS – Matt Morris pitched a two-hitter and struck out a season-high 11, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-0 win over the Dodgers.