Wrapping up an 18-7 win

Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked today whether he placed greater importance on the 18 runs or Bud Norris carrying a shutout into the seventh inning.

Showalter didn't hesitate with his response.

"Bud, without a doubt," Showalter said following the Orioles' 18-7 win over the Red Sox. "That's the Bud that pitched well for us last year. This guy won 15 games last year, and he was in attack mode today. Got a little tired there at the end. Threw a lot of strike ones. He was around the zone the whole day."

Norris lowered his ERA from 17.42 to 12.18 after allowing three runs on Pablo Sandoval's homer in the seventh.

"We've had three good starts in a row," Showalter said, also referencing Miguel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen. "These guys are a close-knit group. They like to pass the baton, they like to keep the bullpen healthy and fresh and that's what's happened. These three guys kind of got us back in some rest areas that our guys perform better out of the bullpen, so I think it was good to see.

"You never want to see the wind get knocked out of their sails a little bit, and I don't think that will happen with Bud, but it was a good reminder of how good he was for us last year and will be again."

Delmon Young went 3-for-6 with five RBIs and three runs scored to raise his average to .368. It's the fourth time that he's recorded five or more RBIs and the first since totaling a career-high six on June 28, 2013 against the Dodgers.

"It's like (Steve) Pearce, now it's Delmon," Showalter said. "There's only nine spots in the batting order. Tomorrow will be a challenging lineup for all the right reasons. That's all I want to do. There's such a fine line when you get to know people, putting them in the best spots for them. But there are times when Delmon, Steve, there are no bad spots to put them in."

The 18 runs are the most scored by the Orioles with Showalter as manager.

"I haven't really thought about," Showalter said. "You're playing a day game in crisp, good weather, you know there are going to be a lot of runs. Balls are slick. I was proud of the walks and the baserunning as much as anything. Guys stayed patient, had some good at-bats when there was a lot of emotion around the ballpark with people sitting on the bases.

"Adam (Jones) had a big walk. The last hit he had, I thought was kind of a momentum grab back."

The Orioles set a club record with 18 runs against the Red Sox, the previous high 17 on Sept. 27, 1960. They hadn't totaled 18 runs in any game since beating the Indians 18-9 on April 19, 2006.

The 20 hits today were the most for the Orioles against the Red Sox since April 26, 2005.

Is there such a thing as carrying over momentum from the previous night with David Lough's walk-off home run?

"Certainly looked like it today," Showalter said, "but I think it had more to do with Bud being good and a good pitcher not having a good day in (Wade) Miley. That's usually where it's traced back to. There's always a karma and mentality around every game created by starting pitching more than things that have happened on our off the field."

Since July 31, 2014, Norris has gone 5-1 with a 3.71 ERA in nine starts at Camden Yards. He's the fourth pitcher to record a quality start against the Red Sox this season and the second Oriole after Chen.

"Bud was locating his fastball terrifically today," said catcher Ryan Lavarnway. "He's got great stuff and he's capable of doing that every time out. I'm looking forward to what he'll take from this going into the next start."

Lavarnway snapped an 0-for-12 streak with a single in the third inning and added another one in the fifth for his first multi-hit game since Sept. 5, 2013 at Yankee Stadium.

"It was nice," he said. "Any time I can contribute offensively that's terrific. I know my main job here is to catch the pitching staff and do what I can for them, but anything I can do offensively is a bonus."

What about the momentum carry-over?

"Sure, why not?" Lavarnway said. "Give it wherever you want. D-Lough did a great job coming in last night. I know he's been working really hard, extra work one-on-one with the hitting coach and that carried over for him. And we'll take anything we can get."

The Orioles got an impressive amount of support in the stands with an announced crowd of 43,802. Fans didn't stay away following yesterday's protests.

"It was a great crowd," Lavarnway said. "The city of Baltimore came out to support us today. It was a beautiful day. Bud was throwing the ball great. Scored a bunch of runs. It was terrific."

"I was curious to see how many people we would have today," Showalter said. "That was pretty impressive. I really thank them, too. They had something to do with that game today. There was a great feel in the ballpark, more than just baseball.

"To have that many people show up tells you how much they love the Orioles and how much confidence they have in this city. Pretty impressive. Doesn't go unnoticed."