Chris Davis on his hot hitting, Machado and the O's playoff situation

Chris Davis has put together a three-game run where he has hit four homers. He is 5-for-11 with nine RBIs during that stretch. OK, he is not Mark Reynolds' homer hot, but he hit No. 30 last night. "Just like him (Reynolds) earlier this year, you get hot," Davis said. "When a power hitter gets hot, they have a tendency to go deep. I've felt good at the plate the last few weeks and feel like I've really capitalized on pitches maybe I was missing earlier this year. When I simplify it and go look for one pitch, I'm able to do more damage." Davis had never had more than 391 at-bats in a season before this one, where he has 501 at-bats to go along with a .269 average, those 30 homers, 81 RBIs and an .814 OPS. "It's been awesome," Davis said of his season. "I never would have imagined playing the outfield or pitching, it's been a crazy year and a lot of fun. I have to give Buck credit for putting me in there every day and sticking with me. When it gets bad, it's ugly. But it means a lot to me to play every day and be on a winning team. Words can't express it." Now he and the Orioles are setting their sights on winning the AL East for the first time since 1997. There is a big difference in qualifying for a five-game playoff series as a division champ and having to win a one-game playoff as a wild card entry. "It's huge," Davis said. "The way things are set up this year, if you win the wild card, you are just setting yourself up for another playoff game. It's in our best interest to try and do that (get the division). I think we have to keep the same mentality. Try to win every nine innings." After last night's win, Davis was asked about Manny Machado and the amazing contributions he is making for a kid of 20 years old. "He continues to impress everybody. I don't think you can say enough about how he's been able to handle himself. He stays even keel the whole game and has made some great plays defensively. If he hesitates on that ball where he turned the double play the guy will beat it out. But that is what we've come to expect of him. He's set the bar pretty high," Davis said.