Athletics 6, Orioles 1: Rookie Yoenis Cespedes delivered a two-run homer and an RBI triple, and Chris Carter added a two-run shot as visiting Oakland won for the ninth time in its last 10 games.

Bartolo Colon (7-8) hadn’t won since June 12 – a string of five starts. He allowed seven hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings as the Athletics improved to 12-2 since the All-Star break and 18-3 in July.

Baltimore dropped 3½ games behind Oakland in the wild-card race. The Athletics lead Detroit by 2½ games.

Orioles starter Tommy Hunter (4-6) fell to 5-1 lifetime against Oakland. He allowed five runs, seven hits and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings.

Cespedes reached out and hooked a 2-2 curveball over the left field fence to put Oakland in front 2-0 in the third inning.

After Eric Sogard’s one-out RBI single in the fourth inning, Carter crushed a 1-1 pitch to left field in the sixth to make it 5-0 and chase Hunter.

Carter, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on June 29, has eight homers among his 15 hits and 19 RBIs in 18 games.

The Orioles threatened with runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth inning, but Jordan Norberto relieved Colon and struck out Omar Quintanilla. Norberto also got out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh by retiring Adam Jones on a groundout.

Cespedes’ stand-up triple drove in Jemile Weeks in the eighth inning and he robbed Quintanilla of extra bases with a running catch in the left-center field gap to end the bottom half.

Baltimore's Nick Markakis homered with one out in the ninth inning.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Oakland RF Josh Reddick, who crashed into the wall to make a game-ending catch Friday, was held out of the lineup as a precautionary measure with an upper back contusion. He is 20-for-48 (.417) with four homers and eight RBIs at Camden Yards. … Baltimore C Matt Wieters, who is in a 1-for-30 slump, missed his second straight game because of tightness in his right biceps. … The Athletics haven’t been 10 games above .500 since they finished the 2006 season 93-69. … Colon improved to 5-2 on the road. … Carter is batting .268.