SAN DIEGO -- Chris Davis has already endured a record hitless streak of 62 plate appearances. He has displayed fortitude when he goes days, even weeks, without the positive reinforcement of a base knock.

That doesn’t mean Davis wants to keep testing his grit.

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Davis was facing another extended, confidence-challenging streak on the Orioles’ West Coast road trip. He stepped into the batter’s box against Matt Strahm in the eighth inning Tuesday afternoon at Petco Park with no hits and 14 strikeouts in 16 at-bats on the trip.

One slow jog around the bases later, the frustration of that skid was replaced with the joy of a tiebreaking homer that boosted the Orioles to an 8-5 victory over the Padres. Davis’ 417-foot shot to center field snapped a 5-5 tie and fueled a three-run inning that gave the O's their first winning road swing since the first week of the season.

“Any time you’re scuffling or going through a rough spot, you want the opportunity to come through in a big situation,” said Davis, who was in an 0-for-18 skid overall, going back to the Orioles’ last homestand. “I was just battling all day, really the last few days, trying to get back into that groove. It felt good to put a good swing on one.”

The O's opened the year 4-2 at the Yankees and Blue Jays, then endured three long months of losing. But Baltimore's 5-4 trip through Arizona, Anaheim and San Diego gave the club a 12-12 record in July.

For a team that’s 36-71 overall, that’s progress.

“For our guys to compete the way they did these last three series on the road is really impressive,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I like the way our guys are sticking together. I think our dugout is unbelievable. I think some of our young guys are getting better.”

Davis, 33, isn’t one of the young guys, and his challenge isn’t so much about making progress as it is an ongoing search for that old mojo. Twice the Major League home run leader, he no longer is greeted by pitchers who nibble around the corners, fearing his power. On Tuesday, right-handers Dinelson Lamet and Craig Stammen gave Davis a steady diet of sliders in his first three at-bats, and he struck out all three times.

In a lefty-lefty matchup with Strahm in the eighth, Davis saw two more sliders. The second one was sent skyward at 104.4 mph off the bat for Davis’ eighth homer of the season and 291st of his career.

One might think a long stretch with no hits and plenty of strikeouts would mean the hitter is either getting anxious or chasing balls outside the strike zone. Davis’ problem was just the opposite.

“I was taking a lot of pitches that were good pitches to hit,” he said. “Or I was late on good pitches to hit. If I’m not swinging, I’m not giving myself much feedback. If I’m swinging, I know whether I’m late, whether I’m on time, whether I’m underneath the ball or whatever. I’ve just got to battle through it and keep grinding.”

Davis’ record hitless streak began on Sept. 14 last year and lasted until April 13 this season. It’s an uphill climb when your batting average is .000 more than two weeks into the season. Davis has crept within a couple hits of .200 twice, but he has slipped back each time. His slash line stands at .181/.260/.315.

“Taxing,” Davis said. “I have a lot more gray hair than I started the season with.”