And so 4th: O's bats bust out in 6-run inning

DETROIT -- Finally the Orioles' offense broke through.

Baltimore went 4-for-5 with runners in scoring position in a six-run fourth inning on Sunday that paved the way for a 9-3 victory and a series win over the Tigers. The four hits with runners in scoring position was more than they'd collected in their previous eight games combined and chased Detroit starter Justin Verlander from the game.

"Hopefully we can roll off of that, not think about it and we are past that whole 2-for-60 thing," Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy said.

It was Hardy who got the scoring started. After a trio of singles, he delivered a one-out, two-run double before Jonathan Schoop launched a ball into the left-field seats for a three-run homer. Manny Machado, fresh off his 20th homer Saturday night, gave the O's their fourth timely hit of the inning, singling in Chris Parmelee.

"We have a really good team. Everybody believes in everybody. Everybody believes in each other," Schoop said of the O's biggest offensive output since July 5. "They have really good pitchers, but we are a really good offensive team, too. And the first game, we lost, we threw it away and came back the next day and tried to win."

The Orioles notched their first back-to-back wins this month and head to New York with a chance to make up some serious ground on the first-place Yankees, who lead Baltimore by four games in the American League East.

"There were a lot of good at-bats in that game for us. Our guys swung the bat well," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "After losing the first game and looking at [David Price] and Verlander sitting there, a lot of clubs would've come in with that 'woe is me' [attitude], but our guys battled through it and I'm real proud of them."