Dylan Bundy goes five innings and leaves with lead (O's win 5-1)

The Orioles needed to get some length from Dylan Bundy tonight. They needed to see some progress in his second major league start and his first in front of the home crowd.

They got it.

Bundy completed five innings and threw 87 pitches, both career highs, and the Orioles lead 5-1 at Camden Yards.

Odrisamer Despaigne began to warm in the fifth as the Indians threatened again, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Abraham Almonte scored on Carlos Santana's double play grounder and Jason Kipnis was retired 3-1 to end the inning.

Fans behind the Orioles' dugout stood to applaud Bundy, who allowed an unearned run and five hits in five innings, with no walks and five strikeouts.

Despaigne struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning. It may not be necessary to piggyback this start with Bundy working deeper in the game.

Consider Bundy's first start at Tropicana Field, when the Rays hit three home runs and ran up his pitch count to 70 in 3 1/3 innings. He also walked three batters.

Bundy didn't seem to be carrying quite the same velocity tonight, with his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, but he didn't need it. He mixed in his secondary pitches more effectively and has a chance to earn his second career win over the Indians.

Bundy registered only one clean inning, when he retired the Indians in order in the fourth and ended it by striking out Juan Uribe. He stranded Kipnis in the first with back-to-back strikeouts of Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli. The Indians put runners on the corners with one out in the third, but Almonte popped up and Chris Gimenez flied out.

Lindor reached on an infield hit with two outs in the third, but Napoli struck out looking. Bundy concluded three of his five innings with a strikeout.

Almonte led off the fifth with a double and moved to third on a passed ball. Gimenez grounded to shortstop J.J. Hardy, who threw home to create a rundown. The Orioles botched it, however, when Joseph ran Almonte back toward the bag and threw to Machado, who had already moved up the line.

Almonte got past Machado and was safe at third as Gimenez reached. Bundy got a big double play as the unearned run scored, and he made it back to the dugout with his ERA lowered from 3.70 to 3.30 in 46 1/3 innings.

Bundy said he was on a 70-75 pitch count against the Rays and the Orioles gradually will expand it, proceeding with caution while still trying to push him into the later innings. This is a team in a pennant race. It's experimentation with a sense of urgency.

The Orioles homered twice off Trevor Bauer, with Mark Trumbo hitting a three-run shot in the first and Machado connecting to lead off the third. Adam Jones had a sacrifice fly in between the home runs.

Jones has 701 RBIs as an Oriole to tie Rafael Palmeiro for seventh place on the all-time list.

Caleb Joseph has registered back-to-back two-hit games.

Bauer threw 82 pitches in four-plus innings and allowed five runs and five hits. He also walked four batters.

The Orioles have notched their highest run total since July 8.

Down on the farm, Darren O'Day threw a scoreless first inning at Double-A Bowie in what's likely the only game of his rehab assignment. He allowed one hit to Erie and struck out two batters.

Update: Despaigne tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings and the Orioles defeated the Indians 5-1.

Zach Britton recorded the final out, stranding two runners, for his 31st save. Bundy gets his first major league win as a starter.

The Orioles are 55-40 overall and 34-14 at home.