Seattle, WA – Matt Wieters went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, and the playoff-hopeful Baltimore Orioles hammered the Seattle Mariners, 10-4, to open a three-game series.
Nate McLouth began the game with a leadoff homer and finished with three of Baltimore's 15 hits, while Adam Jones went 3-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and an RBI in the rout.
Chris Tillman (8-2), who had not pitched in two weeks because of right elbow discomfort, improved to 4-0 in his career against the Mariners by allowing just one run on three hits and no walks over six innings.
The Orioles extended their lead in the AL wild card race to three games over the idle Angels and are just a half-game back of the East Division-leading New York Yankees.
Michael Saunders and Eric Thames hit solo home runs in the second and eighth innings, respectively, while John Jaso capped Seattle's scoring with a two- run round-tripper in the ninth.
The Orioles abused Hector Noesi (2-12) to the tune of seven runs in the first two innings, with McLouth clearing the right-field wall on an 0-2 pitch to start things off.
"He just really struggled, when he did get ahead he gave up two-strike hits, it looked like he was in the middle of the plate," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "You keep hoping to try and squeeze him through cause the last thing you want to do is have to go to your bullpen in the second inning."
Mark Reynolds and Manny Machado each knocked in a run with two outs in the first, and Baltimore tacked on four more in the second.
J.J. Hardy doubled in Robert Andino and Adam Jones plated McLouth with a sharp, line-drive single off the glove of shortstop Brendan Ryan. With runners on the corners and one out, Wieters hit a ground ball to Justin Smoak at first base. Smoak went to second for the force out, but the normally sure-handed Ryan dropped his throw.
Hardy scored on the error, and Reynolds ended Noesi's outing with a run- scoring double down the third-base line.
Noesi, in his first start since July 4, was charged with seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits and two walks.
Wieters, after homering twice in Sunday's win over the Athletics, added a two- run shot off Oliver Perez in the fourth, and Endy Chavez made it 10-1 with an RBI single in the sixth.
"The Mariners have been playing real well for a while and you feel like they're going to make a run at you. Our guys kept adding on," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "It's a good time of year to not be assuming anything and we haven't been."
Game Notes
McLouth has eight career leadoff homers ... Baltimore improved to 41-32 on the road, their most road victories since recording 52 in 1997 ... The Orioles are 10-3 against the Mariners over the past two seasons with a current six-game win streak in the series ... The Mariners have dropped four of their last five games.
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