Orioles riding power surge of hot-hitting Davis

OAKLAND -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Monday that Chris Davis, whose batting average has picked up steadily over the past month-and-a-half, is being more patient at the plate.

That patience paid off big time on Wednesday as Davis drove a full-count pitch from A's reliever Arnold Leon over the center-field wall to lift the O's to a 7-3 series victory at the Coliseum.

"He's been letting the ball travel," Showalter said of Davis, who has an American League-leading 79 RBIs. "I can't tell you theres a huge difference [in his approach]. Chris is a guy, you run him out there, you like the finished product. And the production. The same thing you ask of him -- not get too high or too low -- you go to ask of yourself too."

Video: BAL@OAK: Davis on grand slam in 10th, Orioles' win

Davis is certainly in the midst of one of his highs right now. Over the past 15 games, he's hit nine homers with 26 RBIs while batting .309 (17-for-55). Twice over the last 12 days he's hit a tying-breaking grand slam.

"It means I'm doing my job for the most part," Davis said of moving up among the league leaders. "I think stats are great, you try to take a look at them at the end of the year and assess how you've done and where you're at. But for me right now, my job is to go out and produce every night."

Tied at 3 in the 10th, the O's got singles from Caleb Joseph and Manny Machado before Leon intentionally walked Gerardo Parra. After Adam Jones' popout, Davis worked the count full.

"You know he is going to be careful. So I think you go up there and try to be selective," Davis said. "Once you get two strikes you try to battle. He actually made a pretty good pitch. I just thought I waited him out. He threw me a really good curveball earlier in the at-bat. I kind of waited him out and put a good swing on it."

The long ball marked Davis' 28th of the season and raised his batting average to .248 in the process.