Did O's offense get going last night?

The Orioles offense broke out last night. The O's beat the Seattle Mariners 9-4 and the nine runs they scored are their second-most in a game this year, topped only by the 18-7 win over Boston on April 26.

The Orioles had scored three runs or less in nine of the last 15 games before last night, averaging just 2.9 runs per game in that stretch.

The club's 13 hits last night were its most since a season-high 20 in that April 26 game. The O's had gone eight straight games with single-digit hits and that streak ended last night.

Catcher Caleb Joseph, who drove in two runs, talked about the breakout game on offense.

"It was big," Joseph said. "We really needed it. We really put a lot of good at-bats together and Jimmy (Paredes) picked us up with a big home run. We talked before the game about really trying to grind out at-bats, especially with two strikes, not give in, and we did a good job of that today."

Joseph began the night with just one hit his last 19 at-bats over a seven-game stretch, with his average dropping from .311 to .258. But he went 2-for-4 with a single and double.

"I think No. 1, though, for me is getting Gonzo (Miguel Gonzalez) through that game and we've been getting quality starting pitching and the bullpen is coming around," Joseph said. "To get a few knocks and drive in two is good, but I don't want to get too high on my offense. I know my importance is behind the plate."

So after back-to-back wins that have moved the club within three games of first place, are the Orioles ready to take off now?

"You always feel that," Joseph added. "We feel good about the 25 guys in this clubhouse right now. We believe in ourselves and it's a long season. Have to get good starting pitching, get quality hits and play good defense. That is what we try to do every day and we know what we are capable of."

Paredes drove in a career-high four runs last night and has 22 RBIs in 25 games. He is now batting .346 with seven doubles, two triples, six homers, a .625 slugging percentage and a 1.001 OPS.

To qualify for the league leaders, a player needs 3.1 plate appearances per each game his team has played. So Paredes would need 112 right now. He has 109.

This means Paredes should soon quality for the league leaders. If he did now, he would be third in the American League in batting average and second only to Nelson Cruz in slugging. His 15 extra-base hits are tied with Adam Jones for the O's team lead.

O's leaders in at-bats per RBI:
4.7 - Jimmy Paredes
5.6 - Adam Jones
6.0 - Chris Davis
6.9 - Caleb Joseph

Even though a four-start stretch of quality starts ended for the O's rotation last night - as Gonzalez allowed four runs over seven innings - they have now gotten five straight games of seven innings or more by the starter. The rotation ERA for the Orioles is 2.00 over the last five games and 3.22 over the last 19 games.

Seattle had won six of its last nine before this loss, which drops the Mariners to 17-21. Seattle starters had pitched to an ERA of 2.33 the previous 12 games before Taijuan Walker gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings last night.

Around the American League:

* Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is headed to the disabled list. He suffered a sprained right knee in last night's loss to the Nationals. The 31-year-old Ellsbury is hitting .324 with one homer, six RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 37 games.

* The Houston Astros beat Oakland 6-4 last night to improve to 26-14, the best record after 40 games in franchise history. Houston's .650 win percentage is the best in the American League. Houston is 23-0 when scoring at least four runs.

* Oakland is 6-19 over its last 25 games and 14-27 overall. The A's trail the first-place Astros by 12 1/2 games. The A's have the worst record in the AL and are 2-13 in one-run games.

Reyes rakes: Single-A Delmarva's 18-year-old third baseman, Jomar Reyes, had quite a night last night in the Shorebirds' 8-2 win over Lakewood. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and five RBIs. During a five-game hitting streak, Reyes is 11-for-22 with three doubles and nine RBIs, raising his season batting average from .273 to .311. He is batting .338 in 17 games this month.

Delmarva's starter last night, left-hander Brian Gonzalez, gave up just one hit over 6 1/3 innings. He retired the first 16 batters he faced before allowing a bunt single. He has an ERA of 0.74 over his last two starts and is 3-1 with a 4.08 ERA for the season.

The seven-inning run: On MASN's "O's Xtra" postgame show last night, a graphic pointed out that until last night, the Orioles had gone nearly eight years since running off five consecutive starts of seven or more innings. Back then it was this group:

June 13, 2007 vs. Washington: Steve Trachsel
June 14, 2007 vs. Washington: Jeremy Guthrie
June 15, 2007 vs. Arizona: Erik Bedard
June 16, 2007 vs. Arizona: Daniel Cabrera
June 17, 2007 vs. Arizona: Brian Burress