SEATTLE -- The Orioles are quickly making the West Coast the best coast.Despite a brutal three-city road trip out of the All-Star break -- against three clubs that ended the first half all with a better record than Baltimore -- the first-place O's have shown no signs of slowing down. If anything, the Orioles are cranking it up, especially in extra innings.Led by Chris Davis' decisive 10th-inning homer, the Orioles -- who continue to get impressive pitching performances on a nightly basis -- broke through to capture their fourth win in five games with a 2-1 victory over Seattle on Friday night to keep their American League East lead at three. 
The win, the O's fifth consecutive in extra-inning contests, guarantees the Orioles (57-45) will at least finish .500 on the tough 10-game trip with two games still to play.Baltimore, which saw Nelson Cruz connect for his 29th homer, has won 16 of its last 23 road games and did so Friday in impressive fashion, as Orioles starter Kevin Gausman went toe-to-toe with former AL Cy Young Award winner -- and this year's All Star starter -- Felix Hernandez.Hernandez, who held the Orioles to one run over seven innings, tied a Major League record and became just the second pitcher since 1900 to go 13 consecutive starts of at least seven innings and allow two or fewer runs.Gausman, showcasing a fastball that topped out at 97mph, picked up the team's fifth consecutive quality start, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing one run. The 23-year-old, who turned in his second-longest outing this season, scattered seven hits and three walks in the 103-pitch no-decision.Davis ensured the effort wouldn't be wasted, driving reliever Charlie Furbush's 1-2 pitch into right field for a leadoff 10th-inning homer. It marked the second of the road trip for Davis and his 17th of the year.Cruz put the Orioles on the board in the second inning, giving his team a 1-0 lead on a rare mistake by Hernandez. Cruz's 75th RBI, which marked the sixth homer Hernandez has allowed this season, gave the veteran his sixth consecutive season of 20 or more homers and 75 or more RBIs.Cruz's leadoff homer was followed by Caleb Joseph's leadoff double in the third, but Hernandez retired the next 11 straight -- 16 of his final 18 -- to keep Baltimore's bats at bay.After Hernandez navigated around Nick Markakis' one-out double, the Mariners evened the score in the bottom of the sixth inning to mark the first run off an Orioles starter in 18 innings. Robinson Cano tripled to the right-field corner, on a ball that hit off the hustling Markakis' glove, and Kendrys Morales -- in his first game since being traded to the Mariners -- drove him in with a sacrifice fly.Gausman, who stranded runners at third and the fourth, got a lift from his defense in the fifth inning. After Brad Miller walked and was hit by Endy Chavez's single for the second out, Gausman gave up a left-field single to James Jones with outfielder Steve Pearce coming up firing to nab Chavez at home plate.Gausman exited after striking out Chavez for the second out of the seventh inning, with lefty Brian Matusz retiring Jones to strand a pair of runners and lower the rotation's ERA over the past five games to 1.29. Matusz pitched around a two-out double from Kyle Seager in the eighth and exited after recording the first out in the ninth, with righty Darren O'Day picking up a pair of strikeouts.Closer Zach Britton picked up his 19th save in 22 opportunities to seal the win, with the game ending on an overturned call at first base. After recording the first two outs of the inning, Britton fielded Robinson Cano's comebacker, turned and fired high. Davis corralled it, although Cano was originally called safe. After a review, the call was overturned to end the game.Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
The win, the O's fifth consecutive in extra-inning contests, guarantees the Orioles (57-45) will at least finish .500 on the tough 10-game trip with two games still to play.Baltimore, which saw Nelson Cruz connect for his 29th homer, has won 16 of its last 23 road games and did so Friday in impressive fashion, as Orioles starter Kevin Gausman went toe-to-toe with former AL Cy Young Award winner -- and this year's All Star starter -- Felix Hernandez.Hernandez, who held the Orioles to one run over seven innings, tied a Major League record and became just the second pitcher since 1900 to go 13 consecutive starts of at least seven innings and allow two or fewer runs.Gausman, showcasing a fastball that topped out at 97mph, picked up the team's fifth consecutive quality start, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing one run. The 23-year-old, who turned in his second-longest outing this season, scattered seven hits and three walks in the 103-pitch no-decision.Davis ensured the effort wouldn't be wasted, driving reliever Charlie Furbush's 1-2 pitch into right field for a leadoff 10th-inning homer. It marked the second of the road trip for Davis and his 17th of the year.Cruz put the Orioles on the board in the second inning, giving his team a 1-0 lead on a rare mistake by Hernandez. Cruz's 75th RBI, which marked the sixth homer Hernandez has allowed this season, gave the veteran his sixth consecutive season of 20 or more homers and 75 or more RBIs.Cruz's leadoff homer was followed by Caleb Joseph's leadoff double in the third, but Hernandez retired the next 11 straight -- 16 of his final 18 -- to keep Baltimore's bats at bay.After Hernandez navigated around Nick Markakis' one-out double, the Mariners evened the score in the bottom of the sixth inning to mark the first run off an Orioles starter in 18 innings. Robinson Cano tripled to the right-field corner, on a ball that hit off the hustling Markakis' glove, and Kendrys Morales -- in his first game since being traded to the Mariners -- drove him in with a sacrifice fly.Gausman, who stranded runners at third and the fourth, got a lift from his defense in the fifth inning. After Brad Miller walked and was hit by Endy Chavez's single for the second out, Gausman gave up a left-field single to James Jones with outfielder Steve Pearce coming up firing to nab Chavez at home plate.Gausman exited after striking out Chavez for the second out of the seventh inning, with lefty Brian Matusz retiring Jones to strand a pair of runners and lower the rotation's ERA over the past five games to 1.29. Matusz pitched around a two-out double from Kyle Seager in the eighth and exited after recording the first out in the ninth, with righty Darren O'Day picking up a pair of strikeouts.Closer Zach Britton picked up his 19th save in 22 opportunities to seal the win, with the game ending on an overturned call at first base. After recording the first two outs of the inning, Britton fielded Robinson Cano's comebacker, turned and fired high. Davis corralled it, although Cano was originally called safe. After a review, the call was overturned to end the game.Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
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