Homer

When a reporter began a question after Friday's game asking Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds what it was like to help his team win with his glove and his bat, Reynolds interrupted the inquiry to offer some self-deprecating humor. "First person that's ever said that," Reynolds said, biting on the notion that his actually was actually being recognized. Reynolds played a major part in the Orioles' 6-1 win over the Yankees Friday night. His two-run homer off Hiroki Kuroda in the second inning was a towering blast that silenced the home crowd as it landed in the stadium's second deck.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter often has the same reaction when he thinks a question is obvious, when he thinks something is astounding or when he is sidestepping a pointed inquiry - he tilts his head slightly, cocks an eyebrow and utters one word: “Really?” With their 5-3 victory over the tough Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon, these surprising, befuddling Orioles (72-58) have moved within three games of the American League East-leading New York Yankees, who were idle Thursday.

Lew Ford went into Monday's series opener against the White Sox having not hit a major league home run since July 29, 2007. Since he joined the Orioles on July 29, Ford has played sparingly. But he's making the most of his starts the past two nights as the DH against left-handed White Sox starters. On Monday, Ford started for this second time since Aug. 12, and he hit a second-inning solo homer off Francisco Liriano in the Orioles' 4-3 comeback win. It was his first big league homer in more than five years.

The Orioles spent 7 1/2 innings nearly giving away a game they couldn't afford to lose against the sizzling Chicago White Sox on Monday night at Camden Yards. But in leading this team past the misery of 14 straight losing seasons, Orioles manager Buck Showalter has refused to look back, whether it's back to years of mediocrity or the last inning. And on Monday, the Orioles overcame their early-inning failures with another comeback win, this one coming on Nate McLouth's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that propelled the Orioles to a 4-3 win over the American League Central-leading White Sox, snapping Chicago's six-game winning streak.

Adam Jones said what we all expected him to say after he homered on Tuesday night. It was his first homer since July 27. That's a span of 110 at-bats, which is the longest such homerless drought in his career. The homer in the seventh, against Philip Humber, was more than a slump-buster. It was the 100th home run of his big league career, which began in 2006. It also was the 27-year-old's 25th homer of the season, which ties his career high set last year. So what does all that mean to Jones?

The Orioles knew their four-game series against the Chicago White Sox would come down to pitching. The White Sox's vaunted staff is a major reason why they lead the American League Central, and none of their pitchers has been better than left-hander Chris Sale. The Orioles' advance scouting reports told manager Buck Showalter what he already knew: Sale might be pitching better than anyone else in the American League. To get to Sale, the O's knew they'd have to attack him - and his deceptive all-arms-and-legs delivery - early.

It's just a blip, certainly not something to get overly excited about, but shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has struggled at the plate most of the season, has a modest five-game hitting streak going on right now. After his three-hit performance Saturday, that included his 17th homer of the season, Hardy is batting 8-for-21 (.381) in his past five games. The understated Hardy, who is hitting .232 this season after batting .269 last year, wasn't exactly pounding his chest after Saturday's game.

Double-A Bowie right fielder Ronnie Welty had a night to remember Thursday night, hitting two home runs and driving in a career-high eight runs in the Baysox's 17-2 trouncing of the Harrisburg Senators at Prince George's Stadium. The 24-year-old Welty, who was the Orioles' 20th-round selection in 2008, opened his night with a solo homer in the third inning, then hit a three-run triple in the fifth, followed by a three-run homer in the sixth. He finished his night with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Orioles designated hitter Chris Davis became the 19th player in club history to hit three home runs in a single game tonight against the Blue Jays. Davis hit a pair of solo homers in the second and fourth innings off Blue Jays starter Carlos Villanueva, the first homer hitting Eutaw Street.  Davis then crushed a two-run homer in the sixth off reliever Steve Delabar to give the Orioles a 5-1 lead, igniting the announced crowd of 25,754 at Camden Yards. Davis, who now has 23 homers on the season, came out for a curtain call after his third homer.

Chris Davis' second-inning solo homer on Friday night was record-setting. It was the 66th homer to land onto Eutaw Street - behind the right-field flag court - in Camden Yards history. And it was also the ninth this year - the most Eutaw Street homers hit in any one season. The previous record was eight, set in 2008. Davis has hit three there this year. He homered again in the fourth and again in the sixth  - neither onto Eutaw Street - giving him 23 on the season. That surpasses his career-high of 21 set in 2009.