YANKEE KILLER: Mark Reynolds launches a two-run homer in the eighth — his second of the night, giving him three two-homer games against the Yankees in a week. (Reuters)
BALTIMORE — Small ball has been a big topic this week around the Yankees and their struggling lineup that is known for playing big ball.
Last night at a sold-out Camden Yards, the only thing small about the ball was what it looked like the farther it traveled as it left the Orioles’ bats and departed the cozy ballpark.
As one Baltimore blast followed another — six homers in all — the ball got smaller and smaller as it climbed toward the black sky.
“They beat us at our own game,’’ Russell Martin said of the power show put on by the Orioles that carried the hosts to a pulsating 10-6 victory that was witnessed by 46,298 at Camden Yards.
The large crowd came to honor Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, who had a statue unveiled at Oriole Park. It left buzzing about the O’s pulling into a first-place tie with the Yankees in the AL East. Each team is 77-60 with 25 games left.
The Yankees lead the majors with 204 homers, but the Orioles were the ones flexing their muscles for a season-high six homers. That was the most given up by the Yankees this season.
Three of the six were hit before the Yankees scored five runs in the eighth inning to tie the score, 6-6. The three in the eighth after the rally were killers.
“I made a few mistakes and the mistakes cost me,’’ said David Robertson, who gave up a leadoff homer to Adam Jones in the eighth on a 1-2 pitch and a two-run homer to Mark Reynolds on a 3-2 pitch. Boone Logan replaced Robertson and gave up a homer to Chris Davis.
Reynolds and Davis hit back-to-back homers. Reynolds, who homered off Joba Chamberlain in the sixth, has three multi-homer games in his last four against the Yankees.
“I was trying to make a good pitch in and up a little bit, and I didn’t make the pitch. I left the ball over the plate,’’ Robertson said of Jones’ homer. “He did what he is supposed to do and sent it to the seats. I felt like I let the team down.’’
A single to Wieters was followed by Reynolds’ blast to left that led to Robertson dropping his head.
Suddenly, the uplifting five-run eighth when Ichiro Suzuki delivered a clutch, two-run, two-out single that tied the score meant nothing, though the Yankees attempted to paint it as a positive.
“We showed character. I am not frustrated,’’ Martin said. “It’s a big loss, but we have to come back and do our thing [tonight].’’
David Phelps’ thing wasn’t good. He gave up a three-run homer to Wieters and an RBI single to Jones in the first. In four innings, he allowed five runs and six hits.
“To put us in a hole like that is unacceptable,’’ said Phelps, who has a 7.54 ERA in his last three starts.
Not only did Phelps avoid a loss when the Yankees rallied, manager Joe Girardi believed it was the foundation for a stirring victory.
“I like what happened,’’ Girardi said. “I thought something is going to happen.’’
Something did happen: The balls off the Orioles’ bat got smaller and smaller the farther they got away from home plate.
george.king@nypost.com