NEW YORK — On a day in which the Baltimore Orioles traded one of their most effective and popular veterans for two young players, the club turned a doubleheader in Yankee Stadium over to two 23-year-old starting pitchers who are supposed to be part of the future.

It’s safe to say the future did not look particularly bright in the Bronx on Saturday, as the New York Yankees beat the Orioles’ 8-3 in the afternoon and then pummeled them 17-3 in the nightcap.

Chris Tillman allowed seven runs (five earned) over 4¹/
₃ innings in the first game.

And his performance was downright palatable compared to what happened in Game 2.

Zach Britton, who was recalled on Saturday from Class AA Bowie as Tillman was returned to Class AAA Norfolk, faced 10 batters in the first inning and retired just one. He gave up nine runs (eight earned) and reliever Jason Berken surrendered three more in the Yankees’ 12-run first.

It was the most runs the Yankees have scored in a first inning in their storied history. The Orioles haven’t allowed that many runs in an inning since giving up 16 in the eighth to Texas on April 19, 1996 in a 26-7 loss.

In his last two major league starts, Britton has surrendered 17 runs (13 earned) in one combined inning.

The nightcap was over almost before it started. After the first inning, which included a two-run homer by Nick Swisher — who also homered in the opener — and two Orioles errors, the Yankees scored three more in the second to take a 15-0 lead.

The Yankees set a season-high with 24 hits and tied a season-high with 17 runs. Baltimore had allowed 17 runs one other time this season, May 20 against Washington, but hadn’t given up 24 hits yet this season.

The destruction came shortly after the Orioles had agreed to a trade that sent reliever Koji Uehara and $2 million to the Texas Rangers for two 25-year-olds: first baseman Chris Davis and right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter.

The Orioles were also very close to agreeing to a trade Saturday night that would send veteran first baseman Derrek Lee and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a low-level minor league hitter.

The Orioles have dropped eight games in nine tries against the Yankees.

— Baltimore Sun

Baltimore Orioles’ Mark Reynolds is congratulated by J.J. Hardy after hitting a grand slam against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning of a baseball game on Saturday in Baltimore. The Orioles won 5-3. (Gail Burton/Associated Press)

Mark Reynolds hit a grand slam and Jake Arrieta pitched six effective innings to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.

With the Orioles trailing 3-1 in the sixth, Reynolds hit the first pitch from Ricky Romero into the left-center stands for his eighth homer of the season and the first slam of his career in 129 home runs.

Arrieta (7-3), allowed three runs on five hits, walking four and striking out one. While his line didn’t look impressive, he got better as he went along — retiring his last seven batters.

Romero (5-5) lost for the first time in his last five starts. Through five innings, he held the Orioles, who had lost six of seven to a run and six hits.

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles have activated first baseman Derrek Lee from the 15-day disabled list before Saturday’s game against Toronto.

Lee had been on the DL since May 17 with an oblique strain, and was reinstated a day after a one-game rehab assignment at double-A Bowie.

Lee was in the lineup at first base, batting fifth. He’s hitting .231 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

To make room for Lee, the Orioles optioned left-hander Pedro Viola to Bowie. Viola pitched a perfect 1 2-3 innings in his only appearance.

Ricky Romero looks to extend his personal winning streak to four games on Saturday night. (Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press)

The Toronto Blue Jays have picked up where they left off against the Baltimore Orioles.

Ricky Romero now gets his chance to continue his own dominance of the Orioles, and Adam Lind’s scheduled return may boost those chances.

Romero looks to extend his personal winning streak to four, and Lind is expected back from injury when these teams meet at Camden Yards on Saturday night.

Toronto (29-28) has won 21 of 27 against Baltimore (25-30) and went 15-3 in the season series last year. The Blue Jays carried that success into 2011, winning 8-4 on Friday.

Romero (5-4, 2.88 ERA) went 3-0 with a 1.88 earned-run average in four starts against Baltimore last year.

The left-hander, Toronto’s leader in wins, ERA and strikeouts (66), has been outstanding over his last four starts, going 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA. He yielded two runs in seven innings of a 13-4 win over Chicago on Sunday.

Lind is slated to be the designated hitter Saturday after he was activated from the disabled list following the series opener. The first baseman has been out since May 8 with a lower back strain.

He was on a tear prior to getting hurt, hitting .457 with six homers and 15 RBIs in 12 games. Lind has a .343 average over his last nine meetings with Baltimore.

Toronto’s J.P. Arencibia is batting .308 with six RBIs in the last six games after connecting for his first grand slam Friday. The catcher is hitting .255, but his nine homers and 30 RBIs rank among the rookie leaders, while 19 of his 41 hits have gone for extra bases.

Vastly productive

Arencibia is vastly more productive versus left-handers, compiling a .357 average with four homers. He’s hitting .218 against righties.

“He’s done an excellent job at the plate and behind the plate, and [Friday] he had a very good game all-around,” manager John Farrell said.

The Orioles, losers of six of seven, will turn to Jake Arrieta (6-3, 4.97). The right-hander will be looking to rebound from one of his worst performances of the season in trying to gain a share of the AL wins lead.

He surrendered four runs and four hits with four walks in 2 1-3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Seattle on Monday.

“I’m pretty upset about this one,” Arrieta told the Orioles’ official website.

Arrieta was impressive in his only start versus Toronto on Sept. 14, allowing four hits with five strikeouts in six scoreless innings of an 11-3 win at Camden Yards.

Adam Jones is batting .407 with 11 RBIs in his last 12 home games, and he’s hitting .347 with seven RBIs over his past 12 meetings with Toronto.

Jones is 8 for 23 with a homer against Romero.

The Orioles’ 37 errors rank among the most in the AL, and they have committed 12 in nine games. Mark Reynolds’ error Friday — his 11th — led to two runs for Toronto.

BALTIMORE (AP)—The Baltimore Orioles optioned right-hander Brad Bergesen(notes) to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday and selected the contract of pitcher Chris Jakubauskas(notes), who could start Sunday against Texas.

Jakubauskas will pitch Sunday if Jeremy Guthrie(notes) hasn’t sufficiently recovered from a high fever that forced him to miss his last scheduled start.

“(Jakubauskas) could go six to seven tomorrow if we need it,” manager Buck Showalter said.

The 32-year-old right-hander was assigned to the bullpen for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Rangers.

“All I’ve been told is I’m an emergency arm for (Saturday) and (Sunday) will be handled later,” Jakubauskas said. “I’ll take whatever they give me.”

Bergesen started one game this season, allowing two runs in 3 2-3 innings in a loss to Detroit. He was struck by a line drive during a spring training game and thrust into the rotation because of an injury to Brian Matusz(notes) and Guthrie’s illness.

“I don’t think he’s pitched more than four innings in 20 days. It’s time for him to get down there and get his feet back on the ground,” Showalter said. “He had a lot of things thrown at him there with the line drive, with Matusz being out, with Guthrie’s health. We need a starter tomorrow potentially if Guthrie can’t go and Bergy’s only had three days rest.”

The 32-year-old Jakubauskas appeared in five games for Baltimore in spring training, allowing no runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings.

“I threw well in the spring, but a lot of guys threw well in the spring,” he said. “I have three camps under my belt and I’ve never seen so many guys throw the ball so well through an entire camp. My thing was, do your job at Triple-A and be one of the first guys called up. That happened, so I’ll try and stay up here as long as I can.”

In 36 career games with Seattle and Pittsburgh, the right-hander is 6-8 with a 5.48 ERA.

In other news, Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts(notes) was in the starting lineup for Saturday’s first game after undergoing tests in a hospital Friday night for stomach pain.

“Everything’s fine,” Roberts said. “I haven’t been feeling great for a couple days and the doctor wanted me to go get checked out. He just wanted to rule out appendix and all that junk.”