Bud Norris strong as O's score their most runs since 2006 in rout of Red Sox

Entering today with a 17.42 ERA, Bud Norris needed a good outing. All those runs were an added bonus.

Norris pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, Delmon Young drove in five runs and the Orioles produced their biggest inning of the year twice today in an 18-7 romp over Boston before 43,802 at Camden Yards.

The 18 runs was five off the team record, and the Orioles' most since scoring 18 against Cleveland on April 19, 2006. Today, they scored runs in six straight innings, had 20 hits and had five players with multi-RBI games.

The Orioles scored a club-record 18 runs against the Red Sox. The previous record was 17, set Sept. 27, 1960 at Boston.

Norris had allowed 20 runs in his first 10 1/3 innings over three starts, but today was very different.

He took a shutout into the seventh before allowing a two-out, three-run homer to Pablo Sandoval on his 107th pitch. Norris allowed seven hits, with three walks and two strikeouts, and is now 1-2 with a 12.18 ERA.

O's starters have now produced back-to-back quality starts, pitching a combined 14 2/3 innings the last two games, and provided some needed rest for an overworked bullpen.

The O's took a 1-0 lead in the second off Wade Miley. Young's fly ball to center was dropped by Mookie Betts for a two-base error. Then, fly balls by Chris Davis and Steve Pearce sent Young to third and home.

An inning later the Orioles came up with a six-run third inning to break the game open. It was their biggest inning of the year.

Ryan Lavarnways's bloop single started it, and a single by Everth Cabrera was followed by walks to Manny Machado and Adam Jones for a 2-0 lead. Young's RBI single added a run and then Davis doubled home a pair for a 5-0 lead. Pearce singled in another run and a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Jimmy Paredes made it a 7-0 lead. The O's came up with six runs on five hits in that inning.

Young added a two-run single in the fourth for a 9-0 lead that became 10-0 when Rey Navarro singled home a run in the last of the fifth. The runs kept coming. Davis hit a solo homer, and Paredes an RBI triple, in a two-run sixth inning for a 12-0 lead. The Orioles added their second six-run inning of the day in the seventh to open the 18-4 lead.

The O's No. 4-7 hitters - Young, Davis, Pearce and Paredes - combined for 14 RBIs.

Paredes went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs. This weekend he went 8-for-15 with two doubles, a triple, two homers and seven RBIs against Boston pitching.

Miley gave up seven runs (six earned) and five hits over 2 1/3 innings to fall to 1-1 with an ERA of 8.62. Late in the game, Boston's Hanley Ramirez homered twice off Jason Garcia, hitting a solo shot in the seventh and three-run in the ninth.

The Orioles won the last two games of this series to take a 4-3 lead in the season series. They are 45-27 versus Boston since July 19, 2011. Now 9-10 for the season and 5-4 at home, the Orioles welcome the Chicago White Sox to town Monday for their first series against a non-American League East opponent.

Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 2.30 ERA) pitches against right-hander Hector Noesi (0-2, 5.23 ERA) at 7:05 p.m.