Orioles talk about their breakout night on offense

For an Orioles team averaging 3.5 runs per game since the All-Star break, with two or fewer runs in six of the last 11 games, tonight was a big breakout.

They hit six homers and beat Houston 13-5. The 13 runs ties a season high and the 18 hits is one off their season best.

How badly needed was it?

"I don't want to say need," shortstop J.J. Hardy said after a two-homer game. "It was definitely nice. We had not been swinging all that great. To bust out like that tonight, hopefully it keeps going and we keep that confidence."

Now we find out if the Orioles can do it again - or at least can begin to produce runs more consistently. What will be the key for that?

"I don't know," Hardy said. "Maybe just try not to do too much. I don't think we went out there to do what we did tonight. I think it just kind of happened. So if we put too much pressure on ourselves to do that every night, I don't think it's going to happen."

Hardy hit homers No. 100 and 101 in his O's career. He passed Miguel Tejada for second-most by an Orioles shortstop behind Cal Ripken Jr. at 345. This was his 13th career multi-homer game.

"I don't want to change anything, because I have been hitting the ball hard, but those were nice, for sure," he said of the home runs.

Maybe when Mark Trumbo blasted a three-run homer in the first inning, the rest of the lineup knew this could be a breakout night.

"Yeah, it is nice to score three in the first. That takes some pressure off everybody," Hardy said.

For an Orioles starter that often gets little run support, right-hander Kevin Gausman led 5-1 after two innings tonight and 7-2 after four innings. He had gotten one or fewer runs of support in nine of his previous 21 starts.

"It was great," Gausman said. "The guys came out and I tried to bring some excitement that first inning and really, from then on, you could tell that they were going to come out hacking. You are always one pitch away with this lineup, especially when you get guys on base like we had.

"One swing can break open the ballgame. It was good for everybody. It was great to see J.J. click. He's been swinging the bat great. (Hyun Soo) Kim had a triple. Seemed like everybody did their part tonight."

Gausman improved to 4-10 with a 4.11 ERA as he allowed five runs over 6 2/3 innings. He is 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA in nine home starts. He said he made a tweak between his last start and this one.

"I made a slight mechanical adjustment and just tried to kind of throw through the glove.," he said. "I think I hit my fastball down and away to right handers better tonight than really all season. So that was a big pitch for me and got some strikeouts on it and, more importantly, got some quick outs on ground balls. Was also able to throw my breaking ball for strikes. They are a team that gets a lot of deep counts with strikeouts and walks, so if you can get quick outs from these guys, you can help yourself."

Chris Davis homered twice tonight, a Eutaw Street homer off James Hoyt in the sixth and a solo blast off infielder Tyler White when he pitched in the eighth. It was Davis' first multi-homer game of the season, the 16th of his career and first since Oct. 4, 2015 versus the Yankees.

Kim tonight recorded his first triple and first four-hit game. He said the four hits trumped hitting his first major league triple.

"With the triple, I was thinking about when will I get a multi-hit game. It just turned out that way. The loopers got into base hits. I felt very lucky today. When the center fielder wasn't really able to read the carom, I just felt like I should go to third. I wasn't tired, but I was out of breath at the end," Kim smiled and spoke through his translator Danny Lee.

"I was never with a team that hits this many home runs. It is very exciting. I feel just great being part of it."

A reporter mentioned that there was a fan wearing a No. 50 Doosan Bears shirt - a replica of the jersey Kim wore during his time in the Korean Baseball Organization - in the stands at Camden Yards tonight.

It feels nice, but how do they have those jerseys?" Kim asked with another smile.