Odds and ends following a weekend series in St. Petersburg

The Orioles are back home today, and not in the dome sense of the word. They're really home until later this afternoon, when they board a train to New York.

Coming up are two games against the Mets followed by four against the Yankees. They don't return to Camden Yards until May 11 against the Blue Jays.

The Orioles are preparing for their first interleague series. They should be excited just to get out of the American League East.

The most positive development at Tropicana Field involved a rotation that produced three more quality starts to extend its streak to six in a row. The starting pitching had to improve if the Orioles were going to withstand the injuries and lapses in the field and on the basepaths.

The mascots dancing together rated a close second.

The starters have registered a 1.91 ERA in the last six games. I'll repeat that it all starts with starting pitching.

The Orioles have won five of their last six games, outscoring opponents 39-17. Timely hitting helps, as well.

Adam Jones carried his scorching April into May, collecting four more hits yesterday to leave his average at .402 with a .438 on-base percentage and .667 slugging percentage.

Jimmy Paredes delivered a big RBI double and is batting .353/.365/.667. His scorching spring training has carried into May and created a regular spot for him in the lineup as the designated hitter. He also looks pretty good in the No. 2 slot in the order.

"You love to see guys like him get something back from what they put into it," said manager Buck Showalter. "I think the word to describe Jimmy, he's sincere. He doesn't care about looking aesthetically pleasing. He just wants to get it done. He's got a nickname I think (Travis) Snider's given him. I'll let them give it up."

Jones did so yesterday by revealing that the players call Paredes "Babe Ruth." As he uttered the name, Snider stood up at his locker and bellowed "Babe Ruth!" That makes it official.

"He doesn't waste one at-bat, one opportunity, one infield session, one BP time. He's not going to waste anything," Showalter continued. "I think once you've kind of been through the yo-yoing around to different organizations. ... And I'd like to think he likes it here. There's nothing that produces confidence in players more than knowing somebody has confidence in them and likes them. He knows we like what he brings and he works very hard on any weaknesses that he might have.

"He's one of those guys you put your head on the pillow because it's never from lack of focus on concentration or want-to. He just lets it rip every night and you like that about him."

Paredes is a quiet personality, easily lost within the clubhouse unless you're seeking him out.

"He's laid back in certain ways, but when the game starts and the competition and the baseball part of it, he's letting it rip," Showalter said. "He gets after it, and he's never going to make an error of passiveness. And you've got to be careful about taking that away from him, because that's what makes him good.

"I'll tell you what he does, too. He's not just up there whaling. He sits on pitches. You try to pitch him just one way, he'll sit on it. I've seen that about him. He's not just up there. He's got a plan. You can tell. He'll sit on a breaking ball or he'll look at a certain part of the zone guys are trying to pound him in."

It's true that Paredes won't make an error of passiveness, but it's the other miscues that raise concerns. Can the Orioles basically carry him as a full-time designated hitter and emergency fill-in in the field?

They can if he continues to rake.

Paredes also lined out to center field yesterday in the sixth following Manny Machado's bunt single. The ball was smoked, but he hit it directly at Kevin Kiermaier.

Even his outs make a loud noise.

Do the Orioles continue to carry Everth Cabrera once J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty come off the disabled list? He can back up at shortstop and share second base with Flaherty and Steve Pearce, if Showalter keeps the latter in the mix. But Cabrera has a minor league option, which always makes him a candidate to be sent down.

Cabrera went 0-for-3 yesterday and has five hits in his last 31 at-bats.

Left-hander Brian Matusz hasn't pitched since April 25. Showalter wasn't able to get him into a game in St. Petersburg.

He may want to throw a side session on the train.

Here's a leftover Rays note: Steven Souza Jr. is 0-for-17 with 12 strikeouts. His nine strikeouts over the weekend set a Tampa Bay record for a three-game series.

Souza has a pair of four-strikeout games this season, joining Chris Davis and Houston's Evan Gattis as the only players in the majors to accomplish the dubious feat.