Notes and quotes after three straight quality starts and wins

I couldn't tell whether Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was kidding or serious, but this is what he said when a reporter pointed out that his three hits last night all went to the opposite field.

"I was late (on the swing). I was late, trying to pull it. I was late, just trying to hit the ball hard anywhere it goes. I don't care, line-to-line," he said.

Just being honest, I guess. Hey, all hits count and Jones went 3-for-5 in the Orioles' 10-2 win over the Rangers. He is 5-for-9 in the last two wins. Jones hit a leadoff homer last night, the sixth of his career. It was also his 15th career homer (in 78 games) versus Texas, his most against any non-American League East team.

Jones had a short but certainly accurate answer when asked about the Orioles pitchers recording three consecutive quality starts.

"That's big. Keeps this engine running," he said.

The Orioles had not had three straight quality starts since May 19-21. The most they've had all year was four in a row and they can match that season-best tonight. They had four straight April 13-16, during a four-game series at Toronto. They also had four straight April 19-22, with the first two games at Cincinnati and the last two at Boston.

In three games versus the Cubs, O's starting pitchers worked a combined 11 1/3 innings, allowing 27 hits, 21 runs and seven homers.

Now in the first three games of the four-game Texas series, the starters have pitched 18 innings, allowing 10 hits, three runs and two home runs.

The Orioles got big games last night from both Jonathan Schoop and Trey Mancini. Schoop went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. He produced his 99th career double and his 31st multi-hit game of this year, which leads the team. Mancini went 2-for-4 with a three-run triple and has five RBIs the past two games.

Jones had some props for his young teammates.

"Mancini is doing it," he said. "Not a lot of people know him around the league; they're starting to know him. He's a force right now. He's doing a lot of good things, offensively and defensively. He's not getting enough credit for first off, how he played at first base when Chris (Davis) was gone on the DL and how he went back to the outfield after (five) weeks of not playing the outfield at all. Just went back out there.

"Schoop is just fun to watch. I've seen the maturation process day-by-day. You see it in his at-bats, he's having great at-bats. It's fun to be on that side of it."

And it must have been fun to be on the right side of back-to-back blowout wins by 12-1 and 10-2 scores. The Orioles have scored 10 or more runs 10 times this year and this was the first time they've done it two games in a row.

The Orioles had lost seven of their past eight home games until winning the first three of four against Texas. They are 28-19 at home for the season and are 11-4-1 in home series.

Texas, which has been outscored 25-4 in this series, has lost 11 of its last 17 road games. The Rangers are 20-29 on the road.

Catcher Caleb Joseph went 2-for-4 last night with a double and single. Joseph has kind of quietly been swinging a hot bat. Over his past 11 games, including two in which he didn't bat as a defensive replacement, he is 15-for-32 (.469) with three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs. Since May 8 (40 games), Joseph is batting .352. In 28 games at home, he is batting .307. For the year, Joseph is batting .299.

Jones was asked what three straight wins means to the Orioles?

"Shuts up all the trade rumors, I know that," Jones said. "We feel that we're still in this race. Long way to go. We're not just going to give up. No, I don't take offense to that (trade talk). It will die down when we win. You'll become buyers, not sellers, when you win."

He was asked if the trade rumors have been bothering him.

"It's business," Jones said. "You have to understand this business and don't have hard feelings with it. It's business. People can be here one day and gone the next. It's just the nature of this business. Don't get too caught up in one thing."