Wrapping up a 9-3 win

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has made references in the past to second baseman Jonathan Schoop "graduating," a term used to describe his maturation as a player and a person.

Did Schoop get his master's tonight? What school analogy fits when a guy homers twice, including a grand slam, and drives in a career-high five runs?

Schoop led another power frenzy, again coming as the game approached the later innings, that keyed a 9-3 victory over the Tigers before 32,174 at Camden Yards.

"I feel good since spring training," Schoop said. "Sometimes the pitcher, you've got to tip your hat to him. That's why this game is so tough. You've got to make adjustments every day. Tomorrow is a different day, different pitcher, you've got to approach it differently. Hopefully, I can get it done tomorrow again.

"This team is all about defense and pitching, and if your defense is (good), you're going to win. The bats are a bonus. That's how this team is. You compare it from 2014 and it's similar a little bit."

The Orioles have crafted two seven-game winning streaks this season. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the club had two such streaks from 2000-2015.

Matt Wieters gave the Orioles a 3-2 lead in the sixth with a two-run shot, and Schoop homered leading off the seventh and again in the eighth after the Orioles (23-12) loaded the bases with one out.

"He still has periods like all of us. Some 10-year veterans will get ourselves out and sometimes the pitchers do," Showalter said.

"Jon's got some good people around him and he doesn't like to disappoint. He's very in tune with the competition."

Wieters has two home runs this season, the other coming on April 19. But Showalter doesn't view Wieters as getting off to a poor start at the plate.

"Not necessarily," Showalter said. "He's not hitting as well as he will, the way I look at it."

Wieters was glad that he could help to reward starter Mike Wright, who earned his second win of the season and tied his career high with six strikeouts in seven innings.

"It's nice to hit a homer any time, but especially the way Mike battled out there," Wieters said. "I went out there in the sixth and told him, 'Just keep us at 2-0.' He was able to do it, and for the bats to come alive there and get him a win is big."

Showalter let Wright return for the seventh inning after Miguel Cabrera's two-run shot in the sixth broke a scoreless tie and almost destroyed the railing above the visiting bullpen. He didn't summon Brad Brach until the eighth, and the right-hander recorded the last six outs for his second major league save.

Wright retired the side in order in his final inning to leave his pitch count at a career-high 108. Second-guessers were silenced.

"There was no doubt in going back out there in the seventh inning for him," Wieters said. "He was on the mound ready to go and had good command of his fastball that last inning. He really used that to get through the seventh, which was big. To be able to get that extra inning is a big inning.

"Each time he goes up there and learns that he can pitch, he doesn't have to just throw, it's big for him. He had some innings better than other innings tonight, but he put together a good game. He was able to settle back in after the hit batter and then the home run, and settle right back in, which is where he needs to be."

The chance to work the seventh was tied to Brach.

"We went ahead there real quick and I didn't feel comfortable with Brad .... One of the things was I couldn't get Brad ready in time and I didn't want to rush him," Showalter said. "I told Mike before the inning that he was going back out. I didn't feel comfortable with Brad being all the way ready. I thought Mike was carrying pretty good stuff, but the last inning was pretty impressive.

"(Anibal) Sanchez was solid, that was real. He was spotting the fastball, the split, get me over breaking ball. He was working both sides of the plate. He had some good hitters ... there wasn't much sequence there that you could grab on to. But the key was Mike kind of matching for the most part.

"We've been very fortunate to contain Cabrera for 2 1/2 games, so we shouldn't take that personal. He's one of the best hitters in baseball. Probably one of the key situations was the one-out double-play ball (in the third) that Jon played very maturely. A lot of guys come catch that ball in the air and only get one."

Wright appreciated the opportunity, no matter how it came about.

"It was very positive that he sent me back out," Wright said. "It means that he's feeling confidence in me, and it's good to get my pitch count over 100. I'm glad I went out there and showed that I can do that.

"I think that seventh inning, that makes me feel really, really good. If I went six with two runs, that feels OK as long as we get the win, it's positive. But in that seventh inning, going out there and throwing that and getting over 100 pitches, it makes me feel really, really good and hopefully I ride that the rest of the season."

Cabrera took one of Wright's pitches for a long ride.

"It's painful," he said. "You never want to give up a home run. It doesn't matter who it's to. That's a really, really long home run. It's the same as a shorter home run, just like anybody. It doesn't matter who's in the box. I'm trying to get him out, especially when it's a big-name guy and that's the guy you're trying not to let hurt you. You know, I can't let that happen.

"As far as the distance goes, it's all right. It'll make some highlight videos."

So will the four home runs hit by the Orioles, the first two off Sanchez. Did they change their approach against him after being shut out through the fifth? Apparently not.

"Not really. We were just fortunate," Showalter said. "There wasn't much margin for error. I'm not going to say it's something he started to do differently. Go around the order two, three, four times and guys figure out a way to get in the fight. And sometimes the two runs they score kind of get you knowing you've got to do something instead of waiting around."

The Orioles are making a habit of laying low through five innings and ambushing the starter and anyone else who follows.

"There's a lack of panic, but a lot of it comes from your starting pitcher last night and tonight keeping you engaged in the game," Showalter said. "The guy had 75 pitches. I don't feel like we got to him. We had a good enough pitching effort by our side so they couldn't afford to keep him out there when he's starting to tire a little bit. It all revolves around your starting pitcher and I'm really impressed by Mike's last inning."

It takes a much larger deficit for the Orioles to appear out of a game. The lineup is just too explosive.

"With our bats, if we can just keep them without scoring, eventually we're going to find some barrels," Wieters said.

"This team is capable of doing anything," Schoop said. "No matter if you're losing by seven, six, five runs, you believe you can score the same amount of runs. We believe we have the team to do it."

Wright said he saw the outburst coming.

"Yeah," he said. "I mean, have you looked at our lineup? God. They hit one home run 460. We hit a bunch. That's exciting. That's really nice to see, your offense clicking like it's clicking right now."

This group is confident that no matter the circumstances, it can muster a rally or two and come back.

"Everybody's going to say that, all 29 other teams, but some people think it and others believe it," Showalter said. "Our guys have played together so much, and the people that we've added - especially the experienced guys - there's that maturity about the reality of the competition. Things aren't always as bleak as they seem and things aren't always as rosy as they seem. Somewhere in between those two is the reality of a baseball season.

"We'll get it while the getting's good and handle the things that come our way."

Pedro Alvarez handled everything cleanly at third base.

"There's nobody on the field tonight that's had more reps at third base than him," Showalter said. "He made a couple of good plays and showed the arm strength that he has. It's a good feeling going home tonight knowing that we have another option there. We thought we did and he didn't do anything tonight to make us think any differently. It's good to know he's part of that depth."