BALTIMORE (AP) – Dwight Smith Jr. hit a three-run homer, one of four long balls off Ivan Nova, and the Baltimore Orioles overpowered the Chicago White Sox 9-1 Tuesday night to end a four-game losing streak.
Renanto Nunez, Chris Davis, and Joey Rickard also connected for the Orioles, who improved their home record to 2-10 before a cozy, appreciative crowd of 8,953.
Andrew Cashner (4-1) gave up one run, five hits, and a walk over seven innings to win his fourth straight decision. Just as important, he provided much-needed rest to a bullpen that was drained in a 12-2 loss to Chicago one night earlier.
Nova (0-3) yielded nine runs over four innings. Obtained in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, the right-hander has an 8.42 ERA over five starts and has given up 11 hits in each of his last two outings.
After Nunez hit a solo shot in the third, Rio Ruiz singled and Davis hit his second home run of the season – the first at home since Aug. 24 – for a 4-0 lead.
In the fourth, Smith followed singles by Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini with a long drive to right, and Rickard connected one out later with a man on.
Returning from a one-day absence with a strained quad, Smith made a perfectly timed, high-flying catch at the wall in left field to rob Adam Engel of a two-run homer in the second inning. One inning later, Mancini made a leaping, backhand grab of a liner to right by Jose Abreu.
The rebuilding Orioles have suffered many a lopsided loss already this season, but on this night they put on an impressive display of pitching, offense, and defense.
Coming into the game, Baltimore surrendered a major league-high 59 homers and hit only 26. Chicago’s lone run came on a sixth-inning RBI single by Tim Anderson.
