Orioles bring their offense to anniversary party (O's have six homers)

On the night that the Orioles celebrate their 60th anniversary, third baseman Manny Machado hits a three-run homer. Earl Weaver must be smiling. Weaver wouldn't have approved of David Lough's sacrifice bunt after Ryan Flaherty led off the second inning with a single, but otherwise... Nick Hundley drove in Flaherty with a single to break a scoreless tie, Nick Markakis walked and Machado provided some serious lift to Justin Masterson's 88 mph sinker, the ball clearing the Orioles bullpen in left-center field for a 4-0 lead. Machado, who was hit by a Masterson pitch in the first, has 12 home runs this season. The Orioles are jumping all over Masterson. J.J. Hardy led off the third with his fifth home run of the season to increase the lead to 5-0. Hardy hadn't homered since July 19. Markakis singled in the first, leaving him 67 hits behind Boog Powell for fifth place on the club's all-time list. I'm still counting. Machado was hit and Adam Jones singled to load the bases with no outs, but the Orioles failed to score. Nelson Cruz and Chris Davis struck out and Hardy bounced out. Jones was 4-for-34 before the single. Orioles starter Chris Tillman has retired nine of the first 10 Cardinals on 36 pitches, 26 for strikes. Matt Adams doubled to lead off the second. Twenty-three members of the Orioles Hall of Fame are attending tonight's game, the largest group in history. Many of them were asked earlier today for their feelings on the club's resurgence after a prolonged down period. "I think it's great," said former closer Gregg Olson. "I knew once Buck (Showalter) came in that he'd get things kind of squared up. He finds a way to get his people, and those people are usually some veteran guys who know what they're doing and are easy to maintain. Good players. That's pretty much what he's done. He knows what he's doing. I didn't think it would be very long until things got squared up." "I love it," said outfielder B.J. Surhoff. "I've been waiting for it. As you guys know, I live here and I've been here since I came here. I was just telling somebody else, and rightfully so, the Ravens kind of dominated everything. All I saw was purple. Now, every time I turn on the game, I'm amazed at how much orange and black. And when I drive down the street, or when you go to the store you hear people talking about it. The excitement is back. "To me, I find great joy in it. It makes it a lot more fun to be around and to listen and to follow. Also, it's a lot more fun to be around it when you're with the guys in the lower levels and in spring training. It's great. I love it. My kids are into it, too, so it's even more sweet." Former center fielder and current executive Brady Anderson talked about the friendships he's made over the years. "There's something about this city, this community, this ballpark, the old ballpark," he said. "These are really close friends of mine here. I'm very close friends with a lot of the ex-Oriole greats. True friends, not just acquaintances. So, there's something special about this place in general. It's hard to explain, really, but it's definitely different and something that I think stands out from other teams around the league." "Believe me, it's a relief," said former center fielder Al Bumbry, who still lives in Baltimore and is active in the community. "During those lean years, it was difficult going out to the public and talking and speaking and trying to explain why the Orioles were in the state they were in. The last couple years it's been very enjoyable to go to the public and speak, because it's easy to see what they're doing, and obviously it makes my PRing for the Orioles much easier." Update: It's quite a party for the Orioles, who lead 8-0 after the fourth inning following Hardy's second home run of the night. Hardy's three-run shot off Cardinals reliever Nick Greenwood produced his first multi-homer game since June 1, 2013 vs. the Tigers. The Orioles have loaded the bases twice tonight without scoring, but it doesn't seem to matter. Masterson was awful, allowing five runs and seven hits in two-plus innings, with three walks, two strikeouts, two home runs, two hit batters and a wild pitch. He was done after 61 pitches, 33 for strikes. Update II: And now it's Adam Jones' turn. Jones hit his 22nd home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth inning that increased the lead to 9-0. He passed Cal Ripken Jr. for fourth place on the all-time Camden Yards home run list with 86. The Orioles have tied their season-high with four homers. Tillman is pitching a great game, but he's being overshadowed. He took a two-hit shutout into the sixth, with no walks and five strikeouts. Update III: Make that six home runs on the night, the most by the Orioles since Sept. 26, 2012 vs. Toronto. Davis led off the sixth inning with his 20th, and Flaherty added a two-run shot following Hardy's walk. Orioles 12, Cardinals 0. Hundley collected his third hit. Reliever Sam Freeman drilled Jones on the knee, the third Oriole to be hit tonight. He seemed OK, but manager Buck Showalter took him out of the game. Tonight's attendance: 43,743