A look at some hot and cold stretches for the Orioles with the longball

When the Orioles start hitting homers in bunches, it can be fun to watch and it can be pretty good for the team's won-loss record. Over the last three games they have hit six, two and four. This is the second time this season the O's have produced three consecutive multi-homer games.

But we know the homers don't always come. Here is a breakdown of some stretches this year where they hit quite a few and when they did not:

* The Orioles hit 25 homers in the season's first 12 games and went 8-4.
* The Orioles hit just three homers the next eight games, going 4-4.
* A stretch of eight homers in five games followed with a 3-2 mark.
* But then the club hit just one homer in a four-game stretch, going 2-2.
* The Orioles now have hit 12 homers the past three games, going 3-0.

In the three stretches where the homers were coming at a strong rate, that is a combined 14-6 record. In the two slower stretches, the club went a respectable 6-6, and maybe that is worth nothing here. They are going to at least have to hold their own when the home runs are not coming and they played .500 ball then.

There have been 10 games this year when the Orioles didn't hit a single homer and they are 4-6. In the games when they hit two or more they are 10-3. When they hit three or more they are 6-1.

The Orioles' first three homers yesterday - two by Mark Trumbo, one by Chris Davis - went a combined 1,261 feet. I didn't see a distance listed on Adam Jones' blast in the ninth, but it was a blast indeed. Nothing cheap about any homers yesterday.

In the last three games, the Orioles have hit .368 as a team with 25 runs and 42 hits. They've hit seven doubles, one triple and 12 home runs.

Maybe the best sign the last two days at Minnesota was seeing the bats of Jones and Davis come alive. Jones went 6-for-10 in those games with two homers and five RBIs. Davis went 7-for-10 with three doubles, a homer and four RBIs. He had been 1-for-21 before this two-game tear. Get those two bats hot to add to Trumbo and Manny Machado and this offense could really get cranking.

Meanwhile the O's starting rotation has now put together four outings of seven or more innings the last eight games after producing just one in the first 24 games. The rotation has produced four straight quality starts for the first time this season, pitching to an ERA of 3.29. In recording 11 quality starts the past 14 games, the O's starters have pitched to an ERA of 3.40.

Cranking out homers and quality starts is a good way to get some wins. And the Orioles are now 7-3-1 in their 11 series in 2016. The 2014 AL East champs had a way of consistently cranking out series wins and it added up to 96 wins in the end. That would be a good club for this one to emulate.

In other news: Triple-A Norfolk's Trey Mancini homered last night in the Tides' 7-4 loss to Charlotte. Mancini hit seven homers in 17 games with Double-A Bowie and now has three in 17 games with Norfolk. He has homered in back-to-back games and has 10 for the season, which is tied for second-most in all of minor league baseball. Mancini had a .698 slugging percentage and 1.112 OPS with Bowie and those numbers are now .508 and .860 with Norfolk. Christian Walker added a three-run homer and is among the league leaders in both homers (7) and RBIs (23). Norfolk has lost a season-high six games in a row.

The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds have announced a one-year agreement with WHGM 1330 AM and 104-7 FM The Point to become the flagship radio station for IronBirds baseball. Daniel Kurish will return as lead broadcaster for his second season to provide play-by-play for all 76 home and away games. Aberdeen opens a new season on June 17 on the road against Hudson Valley. Opening Night at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium is set for Wednesday, June 22 at 7:05 p.m. against the Auburn Doubledays.

Baltimorean and former Oriole Steve Johnson picked up the win last night for the Seattle Mariners as they beat Tampa Bay, 6-5 in 11 innings. Johnson went 1 2/3 scoreless and is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four appearances with the Mariners since he got the callup from Triple-A.

That was Johnson's first major league win since May 29, 2013 for the Orioles against the Washington Nationals.

Speaking of those Nationals, they beat Detroit 3-2 last night as right-hander Max Scherzer tied a major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game. It came against his former team. He threw 96 strikes among his 119 pitches and he didn't walk a single batter. He joins Roger Clemens (in 1986 and 1996), Kerry Wood (in 1998) and Randy Johnson (in 2001) as the only pitchers to fan 20 in a nine-inning game.

So the Tigers have fallen to 15-18 with eight losses in their last nine as they arrive in Baltimore tonight to start a four-game series.