BALTIMORE: Delmon Young, J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis hit consecutive homers in the fifth inning as Baltimore banged out five homers to ease past the Tampa Bay Rays and record a first victory in four contests.
Baltimore hit five homers in all, four off rookie Jake Odorizzi (9-11).
Nick Markakis and Steve Pearce started the onslaught with back-to-back shots in the third to spark the Orioles to their ninth win in 13 games against Tampa Bay this season.
After totaling four runs and 13 hits in three road losses to
the Chicago Cubs, the Orioles
got 14 hits against a Tampa Bay staff that had a major league-best 2.28 ERA since the All-Star break.
Chris Tillman (11-5) yielded an unearned run and three hits in seven innings. He is 4-0 in eight starts since July 18.
Baltimore led 3-1 before pulling away in the fifth. Three straight singles produced a run before Young hit a three-run drive to left. Hardy chased Odorizzi with a shot to center, and Davis greeted Kirby Yates with his 22nd home run.
It was the first time since May 2012 that the Orioles homered in three successive at-bats.
Odorizzi yielded eight runs
and 11 hits, both career highs, as were the four home runs.
Baltimore added a fielding gem in the sixth when center fielder Adam Jones made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Evan Longoria of a homer. Jones then threw out Matt Joyce, who tagged up from first base.
After the Rays scored in the third, Baltimore went up 3-1 in the bottom half. Markakis snapped an 0-for-21 skid with
a two-run drive and Pearce followed with his 15th homer, the fourth in his last eight games.
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