A look at the Orioles through nine games with notes on Brach, Joseph and Schoop

So far, the Orioles offense is ahead of their pitching. Going into last night's games, the Orioles ranked fourth in the American League in batting at .270, were sixth in runs scored with 47 and first in homers with 15.

The Orioles have scored five runs or more in seven of their first nine games and they scored 35 runs during their 3-3 homestand, batting .309 with 63 hits, including 11 homers at Camden Yards.

But the bullpen has been scored upon in every game this year and that nine-game streak is three more than the longest streak of the 2014 season. The club's team ERA of 5.06 ranked 13th in the league going into last night.

So there is room for improvement.

While Adam Jones has gotten off to a red-hot start, did anyone notice that Caleb Joseph had an excellent series at the plate against New York? He went 7-for-11 with three multi-hit games, hit his first career triple and had two RBIs. Not a bad three days for Joseph.

Jonathan Schoop has now homered in three of his last five games. After hitting just two homers in 76 at-bats all of last April, he has three in his first 23 at-bats this season.

He likes to jump on a pitch early in the count.

"I'm looking for a fastball all the time. Like first pitch, second pitch, all the time looking for a fastball, and then you need to see the ball and react to the off-speed pitch when it comes," he said.

Over his past five games, Schoop is 6-for-18 with those three homers and seven RBIs. He talked often this spring about how much he wanted to get better. Early on, there are signs he has done just that. He seems to be chasing fewer pitches.

"Yeah, I think I am doing that. I feel better and like I am having some good at-bats. Just have to keep it up. I just want to get better. Be better than last year. Have better at-bats," Schoop said.

After a strong 2014 for the Orioles, when he went 7-1 with an ERA of 3.18, right-hander Brad Brach got off to a slow start this year, pitching to an ERA of 9.64 in his first four games.

But he pitched two scoreless innings to get the win on Wednesday night. When he entered the game in the top of the sixth, the Orioles were behind 3-2. But when he took the mound for the seventh, they were ahead of the Yankees 7-3.

Brach said he had some extra life on his fastball in that game. How does he account for the extra zip on the heater?

"I don't know," he said. "Some nights you have that and some nights you don't. Over 70 outings, you may have it about 50 times and those other 20 outings, you have to get through. But felt really good and glad I was able to shut them down there."

As for the struggling O's bullpen, he sees a turnaround coming soon.

"It's been just a couple of games, that's all," Brach said. "Think this was a good turning point and we are going to roll from here. Just one of those things that can happen at some point in the season and, hopefully, now ours is in the past."

Tonight the Orioles begin an important seven-game road trip with the first of four games at Fenway Park.

The Orioles went 11-8 versus Boston last year and they've won the season series against the Red Sox for three straight years. That is their longest stretch since they did it four seasons in a row from 1964-67.

Since July 19, 2011, the Orioles are 41-24 against Boston, which includes a mark of 22-10 at Fenway Park.