A night of firsts for the Orioles (Flaherty homers twice, O's win 9-5)

It figures that the lineup chosen tonight by manager Buck Showalter would produce a bunch of firsts. Jonathan Schoop collected his first major league hit and scored his first run in the third inning. He later hit into his first double play. And yes, this is his first game with the Orioles. Ryan Flaherty followed Schoop's hit with his ninth home run, and his first onto Eutaw Street. It's the 77th Eutaw Street home run in Camden Yards history and the 31st by an Oriole. It's the 11th this season to extend the record. Steve Pearce tied the game in the fourth with his first home run since May 29. I'm counting it as a "first." I'm allowed to stretch the rules. Wouldn't be the first time. Jason Pridie, batting after Pearce, singled into center field for his first hit as an Oriole. Baltimore native Steve Clevenger followed with an infield single for his first hit at Camden Yards. Bud Norris lasted only four innings tonight, his pitch count at 96. He allowed three runs and seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Norris has posted a 7.30 ERA in five home starts since the Orioles traded for him. Left-hander T.J. McFarland replaced Norris, his first appearance since shaving off his mustache again. He took a razor to it yesterday after batting practice. McFarland left the bases loaded in the fifth. Norris and shortstop J.J. Hardy have committed errors tonight, raising the club total to 50. So, who will be the first person to read this entry? Update: For the first time since Sept. 2, the Orioles have scored more than five runs in a game. The streak ends at 21 in a row. The Orioles tallied three runs in the fifth to break a 3-3 tie. Nick Markakis had an RBI single, Chris Davis drove in his 137th run with a ground-rule double, and Pridie increased the lead to 6-3 with an RBI roller up the first base line. Yes, the FIRST base line. It's a night of firsts, my friends. According to STATS, the streak of 21 straight games without scoring more than five runs was tied for fifth-longest in club history. Update: McFarland was charged with a run in the top of the sixth after the first two batters reached. Josh Stinson replaced McFarland and hit Brett Lawrie to load the bases with no outs. Adam Lind grounded into a double play, allowing Jose Reyes to score. Tonight's attendance: 23,698 Update II: The night of firsts continues. Schoop hit his first major league home run, taking a Kyle Drabek 93 mph cutter to deep center field to increase the lead to 7-4. Looks like Schoop earned himself another start Thursday night. Update III: Ryan Flaherty hit another two-run homer in the eighth to increase the lead to 9-4. Flaherty tied his season high with four RBIs. It's his second career two-homer game, the other coming June 23 in Toronto. Schoop walked before Flaherty went to the opposite field. Update IV: Game over. The Orioles assured themselves of a winning record for the second consecutive season with a 9-5 victory over the Blue Jays. The nine runs are the most by the Orioles since they scored 10 against the Athletics on Aug. 25. McFarland got the win, improving his record to 3-1. Jason Hammel covered the last 2 1/3 innings for his fourth career save. He gave up a two-out RBI double to Kevin Pillar in the ninth.