masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgThe Orioles did not pin a loss on Felix Hernandez’s record last night but they did beat the Mariners in a game that he started and pitched very well.

Seattle had won five in a row with Hernandez on the mound, and they were 13-2 in his last 15 starts before last night’s 2-1 loss in 10 innings.

It is very impressive that the Mariners started Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma in back-to-back games and lost both. The Orioles have stepped up their game, going 5-3 on this tough West Coast trip….The Orioles did not pin a loss on Felix Hernandez’s record last night but they did beat the Mariners in a game that he started and pitched very well.

Seattle had won five in a row with Hernandez on the mound, and they were 13-2 in his last 15 starts before last night’s 2-1 loss in 10 innings.

gausman-gray-specs-sidebar.jpgIt is very impressive that the Mariners started Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma in back-to-back games and lost both. The Orioles have stepped up their game, going 5-3 on this tough West Coast trip.

The Orioles improved to a season-high 12 games over .500 at 57-45. They lead the American League East by three games over New York, four over Toronto, 7 1/2 over Tampa Bay and 10 1/2 over Boston.

If it is possible for a team 7 1/2 games out to be keeping the pressure on, the Tampa Bay Rays are doing so. They won their eighth in a row last night, beating Boston.

On the night of June 10, Tampa Bay lost to fall 18 games under .500. Since then, they are 26-11, the best record of any division team. But the Orioles are 25-14 since that date, so Tampa Bay has had trouble gaining ground on the Orioles. But they keep winning and they keep looming as a second-half threat to the Orioles.

More O’s notes:

* Since going 1-2 at Oakland, the Orioles are 4-1 on this road trip. They have pitched to a team ERA of 1.80 in that time, and the starting pitchers have worked to an ERA of 1.29 in the five games, allowing one earned run or less four times.

* Seattle has scored one run in this series with 13 hits in 66 at-bats for a team average of .197. The Mariners are also just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. O’s pitchers have an ERA of 0.47 in the series.

* With the win Friday, the O’s improved their American League-best record in extra innings games to 10-3. They are 18-15 in one-run games and 8-3 in Seattle since the start of 2012.

* Chris Davis is now 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs in extra innings at-bats in 2014. Of Davis’ 17 homers, seven have come in the eighth inning or later. He has seven homers in 71 at-bats in the eighth or later. Davis has hit four homers his last 14 games.

* Kevin Gausman has now made starts against Hernandez, Justin Verlander, Mark Buehrle, Alex Cobb, Jake Peavy and Sonny Gray twice. The Orioles are 5-2 in those games.

* Heading into the third game of this series this afternoon, the Orioles have won eight of 12, 15 of 21, and 20 of their last 30 games. They are 31-18 since May 31.