Birdland Power Company: O's bash six homers in rout of Houston

After scoring just four runs in two losses against Boston, the Orioles topped that tonight in two innings against Houston. For an offense that had scored the fewest runs in the league since the All-Star break, it was a needed breakout game.

Mark Trumbo hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Chris Davis and J.J. Hardy each hit a pair of home runs, as the Orioles crushed Houston 13-5. The Orioles are 67-53 and tie Boston for second place with both teams 1 1/2 games back of first-place Toronto in the American League East.

Trumbo crushed an up-and-in fastball 419 feet to left in the opening inning and it scored Hyun Soo Kim, who singled and Manny Machado, who doubled. It was No. 35 for Trumbo and set a new career-high, one more than the 34 he hit for the 2013 Angels. Trumbo has four homers and 11 RBIs in his last seven games.

After Houston's A.J. Reed singled in a run in the second, the O's scored two more runs in the home half for a 5-1 lead. Jonathan Schoop singled with one out and advanced to third on Hardy's double. Adam Jones' sac fly made it 4-1 and Kim's looping single to center made it 5-1.

After Schoop's second hit of the night in the fourth inning, Hardy hit a two-run shot to left for a 7-2 lead. It was his 100th homer as an Oriole. That moved him past Miguel Tejada for second place in all-time homers by Orioles shortstops. Cal Ripken Jr. tops that list at 345.

Hardy hit No. 101 in the last of the sixth for an 8-3 lead. Those were Hardy's sixth and seventh homers of the year, and this was his second multi-homer game of the season and the 13th of his career.

The Orioles were just getting started in that inning. Machado blasted a three-run homer and Davis followed with a long Eutaw Street homer to right. That made it 12-3. For Davis, it was his second homer onto Eutaw Street in two nights and the 10th of his career - the most by any player. The Orioles have hit back-to-back homers 14 times.

Houston infielder Tyler White pitched the eighth inning and Davis got him for long homer to right-center. It was No 27 for Davis and his first multi-homer game of the year and 16th of his career.

In getting swept three straight at Houston in May, the Orioles scored seven runs and struck out 52 times, a major league record for a three-game series. Tonight, they pounded out 13 runs on 18 hits with two doubles, a triple and six homers. The game also featured Kim's first career triple, part of his first career four-hit game. Hardy had three hits and six Orioles drove in runs. They were 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

The Orioles hit five or more homers for the sixth time in 2016. Their season high is seven on June 2 versus Boston.

Losing pitcher Joe Musgrove, who entered with an ERA of 1.47 in his first three major league games, gave up eight runs and 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

The winning pitcher was Kevin Gausman. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs (four earned) with one walk and eight strikeouts. He gave up two homers, a solo shot to Alex Bregman and a two-run homer to Reed. Gausman is 4-10 with an ERA of 4.11 and he threw 112 pitches.

The Orioles host Houston on Friday in the second of a four-game series with Wade Miley (7-10, 5.23 ERA) facing right-hander Collin McHugh (7-10, 4.70 ERA).