OAKLAND, Calif. . -- The Oakland Athletics hardly needed any additional motivation for this key September series with playoff implications. Then injured pitcher Brandon McCarthy showed up in the clubhouse before the game. Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-run homer while playing with a sore right wrist, and the AL wild card-leading As beat Baltimore 3-2 on Friday night to prevent the Orioles from moving into sole possession of first place in the AL East. "My body might be tired but Im strong in my mind," Cespedes said. Jonny Gomes hit a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth to back As rookie Tommy Milone in the opener of an important series between surprising post-season contenders. Oakland (83-61) came off the field from batting practice to find McCarthy doing a crossword puzzle, barely a week after he was struck in the head by a line drive and underwent surgery. "I know it was a big pick-me-up for everybody to see him," manager Bob Melvin said. The Orioles (81-63) remained tied atop the division with the New York Yankees, who lost 6-4 at home to Tampa Bay. Milone (13-10) allowed one earned run over 6 1-3 innings to win for the fourth time in five starts. He induced three double plays, allowed six hits, struck out two and walked two. His 13 wins are an Oakland rookie record. As starters have walked three or fewer batters in 43 straight games. The defence turned four double plays in all. "Its huge," Milone said. "Its momentum killers for them." McCarthy, the teams opening-day starter, was hit in the head by a liner from the Angels Erick Aybar on Sept. 5. He was released from the hospital Tuesday. Gomes had everybody sign a batting helmet for the pitcher with the words "heads up" written on the bill. Cespedes, the rookie from Cuba, connected for his 19th home run and third in four games. That gave Oakland 85 homers since the All-Star break. Cespedes played left field and batted cleanup a day after leaving a loss to the Angels in the fifth inning after injuring his right wrist on a slide. "Im going to rest after we get a championship," Cespedes said. "Im going to be in the lineup every day." Chris Davis then tied it at 2 when he hit his 26th home run leading off the fifth. The sellout crowd of 35,067 -- a big turnout for fireworks night -- booed Baltimore starter Joe Saunders (2-2) when he intentionally walked Cespedes in the fifth. Oaklands bullpen produced another impressive game. After All-Star Ryan Cook struck out two in a perfect eighth, Grant Balfour finished for his 18th save in 20th chances. "We might be the first time in history to have fireworks after every game in the playoffs," Balfour joked of the unusually large crowd. Matt Wieters beat out an infield single to start the ninth and Xavier Avery entered to pinch run. Pinch-hitter Endy Chavez struck out swinging, then Mark Reynolds flied out. Catcher Derek Norris threw out Avery stealing to end the 2-hour, 37-minute game that resembled a playoff atmosphere. "Were fighting for the same goal and they made some good pitches when they needed," Reynolds said. "They got us to ground into some double plays. Its frustrating." Another blow for the Orioles: Infielder Wilson Betemit is likely done for the season with further wrist problems. Activated from the disabled list Sept. 1 after going down Aug. 12 with an injured right wrist, Betemit aggravated it again during batting practice. "He felt it grab again. Hes really down," manager Buck Showalter said. "I dont like our chances of getting him back this year." Saunders allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two. He had a two-start winning streak stopped in his fourth outing since being acquired from Arizona on Aug. 26. The left-hander is 13-5 in 20 career starts against the As, but was 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA over his previous four against Oakland with two complete games and a shutout. The Orioles gave Saunders a lead in the third when Manny Machado scored on third baseman Josh Donaldsons error. The ball hit off of Donaldsons glove arm and popped high toward shortstop Stephen Drew. Prior to this season, the last time these clubs met after the All-Star break each with records above .500 was Sept. 2, 1992, according to STATS LLC. Oakland No. 9 hitter Adam Rosales doubled and scored as the As improved to 52-4 when giving up two or fewer runs. NOTES: As 3B Brandon Inge underwent successful arthroscopic surgery Thursday on his right shoulder to repair the labrum. The operation was performed in Detroit by Dr. Stephen Lemos, the Tigers orthopedic surgeon. He hopes to be ready for spring training 2013. ... Orioles LHP Troy Patton (right ankle) is scheduled to throw an inning Sunday at instructional league. ... 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Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. "Were rolling and we cant stop," said Cameron Jordan, who led the way as New Orleans sacked Atlantas Matt Ryan five times. "Weve got to get better." Brees threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham and a 1-yarder to Benjamin Waton, giving the first-place Saints (9-2) a sweep of the season series with their NFC South rivals. Atlanta (2-9) dropped its fifth straight game, clinched its first losing season since 2007 and was officially eliminated from the division race with five weeks remaining. The Falcons had a chance to pull off the upset, driving to the Saints 29 with less than 3 minutes to go. But New Orleans turned up the pressure on Ryan, Atlanta missed a long field goal, and the Saints ran off all but the last 5 seconds. New Orleans also forced a crucial fumble early in the fourth quarter. Keyunta Dawson stripped the ball from Falcons rookie receiver Darius Johnson, and Corey White fell on it at the Saints 13. "We knew coming here was going to be a challenge," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "The two teams, the history, regardless of the record it has always been a close game, and tonight was no exception." The Georgia Dome rocked with chants of "Who Dat! Who Dat!" as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Saints ensuring they will remain alone atop the NFC South and just one game behind Seattle for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. New Orleans will face the Seahawks on Dec. 2 in what shapes up as one of the biggest games of the year. "The identity of the team is still developing," said Jordan, who was credited with 2 1/2 sacks. The Falcons had hoped to salvage a bit of pride in this lost season, driving from their own 9 -- actually, the 3 after Ryan was sacked -- to the Saints 29. But Ryan was sacked again by Jordan and hurried into a pair of incompletions. As the crowd groaned, the Falcons surprisingly sent on Matt Bryant to attempt a 52-yard field goal. He knocked one through, but the Saints called timeout just before the snap. His next try sailed wide of the left upright. Brees and the offencee took it from there, assuring Atlanta had time for only one desperate play at the end. Mike Daniels Jersey. "We responded to momentum changes and some adversity in the football game," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "But it was still not good enough. If you dont win, its not good enough." Brees was 23 of 33 for 278 yards. Ryan was 30 of 39 for 297 yards, but Atlantas offence produced only one touchdown -- the fourth time that has happened during its current skid. The Falcons, who had been outscored 135-61 over their previous four games, put together an impressive drive on their opening possession. Steven Jackson carried it five times for 24 yards, the last of them a dive into the end zone on third-and-goal at the Saints 1 to give Atlanta its first lead in nearly a month. The Falcons had gone nearly 15 quarters -- almost four full games -- since being up 3-0 over Arizona early in Week 8. The advantage didnt last long. Brees guided a 15-play, 78-yard drive in which the Saints converted five straight times on third down, including Watsons leaping catch in the back of the end zone. Bryant put the Falcons back ahead with the first of his two field goals, a 39-yarder early in the second quarter, but New Orleans grabbed the lead for good when Graham slipped behind the secondary and hauled in his long touchdown. He celebrated by dunking over the goalpost and hung on the crossbar for extra emphasis, and ended up bending the post. As the Saints lined up to attempt the extra point, the officials noticed the crooked uprights, leading to a brief delay as a worker came out with a ladder to straighten the bar. The Falcons got in position to recapture the lead, driving to the New Orleans 10. On third-and-goal, Ryan couldnt find an open receiver and took off running, briefly spotting a path to the end zone. But the Saints closed in quickly, prompting Ryan to slide down at the 6 rather than risk an injury. Some Atlanta fans booed as Matty Ice trotted off the field. Atlanta settled for another field goal from 24 yards and trailed 14-13 at the half. The Falcons got no closer. The only points of the second half came on Garrett Hartleys 41-yard field goal. NOTES: Graham had five receptions for 100 yards. ... Saints DE Akiem Hicks had 1 1/2 sacks. ... Falcons CB Desmond Trufant went out in the first half with a thigh injury, but returned to the game after halftime. ... Jackson had 63 yards on 16 carries for Atlanta. ' ' '