SEATTLE _ The Baltimore Orioles didn't waste much time putting a disappointing series split in Oakland behind them, jumping on former teammate Yovani Gallardo early in a resounding 11-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night at Safeco Field.
The Orioles arrived in Seattle needing a series sweep against the Mariners to salvage a winning record on their 10-game West Coast road trip. And against a Seattle team they're neck-and-neck with in the American League wild-card race, the Orioles took Monday's series opener handily.
With the win, the Orioles (59-60) moved within two games of the second AL wild-card spot and past the Tampa Bay Rays for third place in the AL East, their first time there since June 10.
Gallardo was pounded for six runs in the second inning, the big blow coming on Manny Machado's second grand slam of the road trip. Nine of the first 14 batters against Gallardo, who was traded to the Mariners in the offseason for outfielder Seth Smith, reached base.
The Orioles hit four homers on the night, none more substantial _ in both significance and grandiosity _ than Machado's bases-loaded blast, the sixth of his career.
With two Orioles runs already plated in the frame, Machado turned a belt-high 1-2 fastball from Gallardo and deposited it in the third deck of the left-field stands, an estimated 430 feet, at an exit velocity of 108.6 mph for his 23rd homer of the season.
Machado had opened the road trip with a game-winning grand slam a week ago to give the Orioles a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. Over his past 16 games, Machado is hitting .386 with eight doubles, a triple and five homers and 20 RBIs.
The Orioles' 16-hit outburst Monday marked their fifth straight game with 10 or more hits, a season high.
Right-hander Kevin Gausman's outing didn't start off well _ he allowed back-to-back doubles and a single to his first three batters faced, giving up a run _ but he walked off the mound after seven innings to applause from the Orioles fans behind the third base dugout with his fifth quality start in six outings.
Gausman (9-8) held the Mariners (59-61) to two runs and six hits over seven innings. After allowing the first three batters to reach, Gausman retired 12 of the next 13 he faced before allowing a solo homer to catcher Mike Zunino to open the fifth.
Gausman, who allowed just four base runners after the game's first three batters, has an ERA of 1.80 over his past six starts.
He pitched effectively with his fastball, especially high in the zone, getting eight of his 16 swinging strikes with the pitch. Four of his six strikeouts came on high fastballs against a free-swinging Mariners lineup.
The win followed his shortest outing of the past month, a 5 1/3-inning, four-run start Wednesday in a loss to the Angels.
Shortstop Tim Beckham opened the game by homering the first pitch he saw from Gallardo, a 91-mph fastball he sent the opposite way, into the right-field stands.
Machado's grand slam came an inning later. Seth Smith hit a two-run homer, his 12th long ball of the year, in the fifth, and rookie Trey Mancini opened the seventh with his 21st homer of the season.
Beckham had three hits on the night, upping his average to .547 in 14 games with the Orioles. He has 13 extra-base hits _ seven doubles, two triples and four homers _ in that span.
First baseman Chris Davis also had three hits Monday _ his first three-hit game since May 16 in Detroit _ and five other Orioles had multiple hits.
