Dylan Bundy gets first win as a starter as O's top Cleveland

Showing an effective pitch mix from the outset tonight, Orioles rookie right-hander Dylan Bundy picked up his first win as a starting pitcher as the O's beat Cleveland 5-1 in the opener of a three-game series.

Bundy's secondary pitches were effective early on as he pitched a career-best five innings, allowing five hits and one unearned run. He did not walk a batter, fanned five and threw 87 pitches. Bundy is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.30.

Bundy struck out the side in the first inning around a Jason Kipnis single. He pitched out of a first and third, one-out jam in the second inning. Trailing 5-0, the Indians scored on him in the fifth. Abraham Almonte led off with a double, advanced to third on a passed ball and stayed there when the O's failed to get him out on a rundown attempt on Chris Gimenez's grounder. Almonte scored when Carlos Santana grounded into a double play, but the passed ball made the run unearned.

Over his last seven games (with two starts), Bundy has pitched 22 2/3 innings, allowing 21 hits and four earned runs with seven walks and 28 strikeouts. His ERA is 1.59 in that span. He has three major league wins and two have come against Cleveland.

Tonight, he beat the club with the best overall record and road record in the American League and a team that was 30-14 since June 1. What's more, the Indians began tonight third in the AL in runs scored. Odrisamer Despaigne gave the Orioles a strong relief outing after Bundy. He went 3 2/3 scoreless innings on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. With two on and two outs in the ninth, Zach Britton came on to get the last out and record his AL-leading 31st save.

Returning home from a road trip where they scored two runs or less five times in seven games, the Orioles got three runs on one swing in the last of the first.

Adam Jones singled and Manny Machado walked ahead of Mark Trumbo's three-run homer to left center. He hit his 29th dinger on a 3-2 pitch, a hanging curveball he didn't miss. Trumbo, who had gone eight games without a homer or RBI, hit the ball an estimated 412 feet to give the O's a 3-0 edge.

Jones' sac fly in the second scored J.J. Hardy, who had singled to lead off the frame. The lead became 5-0 in the third on Machado's solo shot to center. Machado hit No. 20 on a 95 mph, 3-2 fastball from losing pitcher Trevor Bauer. That homer made Machado 6-for-9 with three round-trippers in his career against Bauer.

The Orioles scored five or more runs for the first time since July 8 and hit two or more homers for the first time since July 15, the first game after the All-Star break.

With the win, the O's improved to 55-40 with their eighth win in 13 games. They upped the majors' best home record to 34-14 (.708). The Birds have won eight of their last nine and 16 of their last 21 games at Oriole Park.

In the second game of this series on Saturday night, Kevin Gausman (1-7, 4.05 ERA) faces right-hander Josh Tomlin (10-2, 3.34 ERA).