NEW YORK -- Kevin Gausman shared dinner Monday night with his former high school teammate, New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird.

A night later, Gausman enjoyed striking out his former teammate twice and helping the Baltimore Orioles earn a win at Yankee Stadium.

Designated hitter Chris Davis opened the top of the ninth with his 41st home run, lifting the Orioles to a 2-1 victory over the Yankees on Tuesday.

"He's been solid in a time of need," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of Davis. "He's been able to dial up some things that we need."

Gausman and the rest of the Orioles watched Davis homer for the 10th time off a left-handed pitcher when he drove a 2-0 fastball by Chasen Shreve (6-2) into the left field seats. It marked the 18th time Davis hit a home run that tied a game or gave the Orioles the lead.

"He's unreal," Gausman said. "He's a freak. He just continues to do those types of things. It kind of seems like every time we need a big hit, he's coming up to bat that inning and he's doing it."

Gausman put the Orioles in place to win it in the late innings. Despite throwing 103 pitches, he allowed only a solo home run to designated hitter Alex Rodriguez in the sixth among six hits in five-plus innings.

"It was big," Davis said. "I thought Kevin threw the ball well. He gave us a chance, and that's all you can really ask for out of your starter."

One player he did not allow any hits to was Bird. A day after hitting the tiebreaking three-run home run in the seventh off Baltimore's Brian Matusz in New York's 8-6 win, Bird struck out with two on the first and again in the fourth.

Both Bird and Gausman are products of Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo.

"It was pretty cool," Gausman said. "Anytime you have a friend that you met (when you) were just playing for fun in high school and to make it to the big leagues and to see him have success, it's pretty cool."

Bird said, "He threw a really good game tonight. It's cool seeing someone you grew up with out there and competing against him."

What was not fun for the Yankees was wasting a gem by right-hander Masahiro Tanaka and falling 1 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees (77-60) lost for the third time in 11 games before the Blue Jays earned a 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.

After Gausman finished, T.J. McFarland pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and Darren O'Day (6-2) recorded the final two outs of the eighth. Zach Britton pitched a perfect ninth for his 31st save.

On a day when the Yankees announced right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was likely lost for the remainder of the regular season and Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller were unavailable, Tanaka allowed just a solo home run to first baseman Ryan Flaherty among six hits in eight innings.

"He was great tonight," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "You can't ask for anything more. We just didn't come up with the big hit tonight."

Tanaka struck out 10 for his sixth career double-digit strikeout game, but there was no consideration to using him in the ninth.

"I was thinking that I'd like to go as long as possible," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "I was able to go eight innings today, and that part I am satisfied with."

Tanaka retired the first 12 hitters before walking Davis in the fifth. He lost his no-hit bid three batters later on an infield single by catcher Matt Wieters.

Flaherty made it 1-0 in the sixth by driving a full count fastball into the right field seats for his eighth home run. Rodriguez evened the game in the bottom of the sixth when he sent a full-count fastball into the first row of the left field seats.

With his 30th home run, Rodriguez joined Hall of Famer Hank Aaron as the second player to have 15 seasons with at least 30.

NOTES: Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he was unsure if RHP Nathan Eovaldi (right elbow inflammation) would pitch before the regular season ends since the Yankees have 25 games left after Tuesday and it might be insufficient time for him to complete a throwing program. ... Eovaldi was next scheduled to start Friday against Toronto. RHPs Bryan Mitchell and Adam Warren are now candidates to make that start. ... Baltimore activated SS J.J. Hardy from the disabled list after he missed two weeks with a groin injury. He went 0-for-4. ... Orioles C Matt Wieters returned after missing three games with a sore left wrist, while CF Adam Jones (sore right shoulder) was out of Baltimore's lineup. ... New York OF Brett Gardner received an injection after jamming his right shoulder over the weekend. He didn't play Tuesday.