Aaron Brooks throws seven strong in relief as O's win

Tonight the Orioles used an opener, but it was the pitcher that came next that made the biggest difference.

Seattle scored two runs in the first off lefty Richard Bleier, but right-hander Aaron Brooks followed him and threw seven innings as the Orioles beat Seattle 5-3 to open a three-game series.

The Orioles (50-104) ended a four-game losing streak and won for the first time on this homestand. They beat a Seattle (65-89) team that had won five in a row and seven of nine as this night started.

Brooks began his night in the third inning with a 4-2 lead. He had gone 3-5 with a 7.11 ERA over his first 12 O's starts. He gave up two runs over 5 1/3 in his last start in Detroit.

Tonight Brooks allowed one hit and one run over the final seven innings. He threw 83 pitches, 53 for strikes as he improved to 6-8 with an ERA of 5.76 between the Athletics and Orioles. Brooks retired the final 13 batters he faced and recorded his longest outing of the year.

A busy first inning ended with the Orioles leading Seattle 4-2. The Mariners scored two in the first off Bleier, the O's opener. The southpaw would face three lefties to start the game. He got the first two, but Kyle Seager singled. Then right-handed hitting Kyle Lewis hit a two-run shot to left. For Lewis, it was his sixth homer in just his 10th career game and his 40th at-bat.

The O's scored four in their half of the first. Against right-hander Félix Hernández, Jonathan Villar singled and Trey Mancini drew a walk. Then Anthony Santander hit a three-run home run to center for a 3-2 lead. He hit No. 20 on an 0-1 changeup. Rio Ruiz followed with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Austin Hays' grounder to third. It was a 4-2 game, end of one.

Austin Nola's RBI groundout in the fourth pulled Seattle to within 4-3. It scored Lewis, who had doubled and advanced to third on a grounder. On Lewis' shot up the middle, O's second baseman Hanser Alberto made a diving stop and out.

And when Alberto led off in the last of the fourth, his home run to center made it a 5-3 lead. He hit No. 12 on an 0-1 fastball from Hernández.

Hernández, the 2010 American League Cy Young Winner, took the loss. Over five innings he gave up eight hits and five runs with two walks and three strikeouts. He falls to 1-7 with a 6.51 ERA after a 91-pitch night.

After the Orioles were outscored 20-7 from the seventh inning on during the series against Toronto, where the O's got swept three straight, neither team scored in the final three innings tonight.

The O's host the second game of this series on Saturday night when Asher Wojciechowski (3-8, 5.38 ERA) faces lefty Justus Sheffield (0-1, 5.40 ERA) at 7:05 p.m.