CINCINNATI _ The Orioles didn't necessarily bring their bats to Cincinnati, scoring a total of seven runs in their three games against the Reds at the Great America Ball Park, but they continued their early season trend of emerging from close games victorious.
Shortstop J. J. Hardy provided the extra-inning heroics in Thursday night's interleague series finale, hitting a two-out RBI single off Reds reliever Blake Wood, scoring Mark Trumbo from second base to lift the Orioles to a 2-1 victory.
After taking two of three in Cincinnati, the Orioles (10-4) have won six of their past eight games and finished their first road trip of the season _ a three-city, eight-game trip through Boston, Toronto and Cincinnati (9-7) _ with a 6-3 record. They are 4-0-1 in five series this season.
Eight of the Orioles' 10 wins this season have been decided by two runs or less.
The Orioles managed just five hits in Thursday's series finale, but scored the winning run in the 10th. Trumbo drew a one-out, six-pitch walk, then moved to second on Jonathan Schoop's groundout. Hardy then battled back from an 0-2 count, fouling off two pitches before looping a single into shallow center field as rain began to fall for the third time on the night.
The only two runs in the first nine came on solo homers. Jonathan Schoop homered off former Oriole Scott Feldman in the second and Reds first baseman Joey Votto hit a solo shot off Orioles lefty Wade Miley in the fourth.
Schoop's solo homer in the second inning was the Orioles' only run against Feldman, who held his former team to four hits over seven innings.
Miley gave the Orioles their deepest start of the season, allowing just one run over eight innings and tying his career high with 11 strikeouts.
Right-hander Brad Brach _ filling in for injured closer Zach Britton _ recorded the save for the second straight night, retiring the Reds in order in the 10th.
