Mark Reynolds

His Orioles teammates have said that he's the kind of player who can carry a team with one of his power binges, and first baseman Mark Reynolds is starting to heat up. Reynolds took the first pitch of the bottom of the second inning to straight away center field for a solo home run, his fourth homer in his last six games, giving the Orioles an early 3-1 lead against Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz.   For Reynolds, who has averaged 37 homers the last three years, it was his 12th of the season -- well below what he's used to hitting -- but it looks like the streaky hitter is finally finding his stroke.

For more than five innings Wednesday night, the Orioles were foiled and frustrated by Red Sox sinkerballer Aaron Cook, whose pitches tempted the O's into weak groundout after groundout. Cook held the Orioles without a hit through the first 5 1/3 innings, with the O's hitting just one ball out of the infield in that span. But like in so many other victories this season, the Orioles were able to dramatically steal momentum in the later innings, this time with a five-run sixth inning that quickly transformed Cook from exceptional to exasperated in a 5-3 comeback win over the Red Sox in front of an announced 22,269 at Camden Yards.

Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds refused to call his two-homer game against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday his first step to redemption. He'd rather footnote it as one good night. Reynolds, who had struggled with his power stroke all year, is beginning to heat up at the plate, as his manager and teammates predicted would eventually happen during the course of the season. Reynolds, who averaged 37 homers the last three seasons, had built up too strong a power-hitting resume to remain in a season-long funk, they argued.

The dog days of August don't usually include three-hour, nine-minute rain delays, but a little more than 12 hours after their game against the Kansas City Royals ended early Sunday morning with a loss, the Orioles were back on the field at Camden Yards trying to salvage a series split. The Orioles' series finale against the Royals was the club's 30th game in 31 days since the All-Star break. Grinding through the yawns and tired eyes of Sunday would reward the Orioles with a much-welcomed off day Monday.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter expressed faith in slumping first baseman Mark Reynolds , saying he will continue to put Reynolds in the lineup despite his struggles. Reynolds is hitting .191 (18-for-94) since the beginning of July and was hitless in nine official at-bats with six strikeouts during the Orioles' three-game weekend series against the Rays. "Mark is playing a good first base for us," Showalter said. "He's contributing there. It seems like he gets a walk a game.

After the kind of night that Mark Reynolds had in Friday's 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays - in which the Orioles first baseman was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts while stranding six base runners - it seems as if Reynolds is at the plate an awful lot in key situations, and most of the times leaving Orioles fans disappointed. “We had a bunch of chances,” Reynolds said. “I know I had a lot of chances tonight; we just didn't come through. I know we got to get better; I got to get better in those situations.

Orioles fans have been spoiled by just how good closer Jim Johnson has been in 2012. He had blown two of his 32 save chances heading into Friday night. He has been nearly as automatic as a closer can be. But on Friday he simply didn't have sharp command, and the Oakland A's singled him to death - five singles and a walk after getting the first out on an excellent play by first baseman Mark Reynolds. “I fell behind and a couple balls got through,” Johnson said. “It just kind of happened.

Mark Reynolds entered Wednesday night's game hitting .206 with just eight homers this season. The corner infielder has homered at least 30 times each of the last three years and had a team-high 37 in 2011. But right now he is tied with Nick Markakis for sixth on the club. He's hit two since June 23. “I can't put a finger on it. I work in the cage, my swing feels good, I feel comfortable at the plate and then it just doesn't translate,” Reynolds said. “It's tough being counted on to do something and you're not doing it.” Reynolds has been maligned much of his career for shaky defense and his massive strikeout totals.

CLEVELAND -- With roughly a week left before Tuesday's 4 p.m. trade deadline, the Orioles are continuing to search for improvements. And it is becoming increasingly clear that adding a corner infield bat with the ability to get on base at a high clip is a major priority - perhaps neck-and-neck with acquiring a starting pitcher. In the past few weeks, the Orioles have had contact with the San Diego Padres about third baseman Chase Headley, the Philadelphia Phillies about third baseman Placido Polanco and the Chicago Cubs about first baseman Bryan LaHair, among others, according to several industry sources.

CLEVELAND - The Orioles have been victims of the big inning recently, when everything seemingly collapses around the starting pitcher. On Friday, the Orioles finally saw it from a different vantage point. They pounded the Cleveland Indians, 10-2, Friday night for their second most lopsided victory of the season. It included a six-run third against veteran right-hander Derek Lowe - the most runs the Orioles have scored since getting seven in an inning May 5 against Boston. “It's rare that we get four, five, six runs an inning.