Orioles win 4th straight, blast Astros, 9-5, behind homers from Austin Hays, Ryan O’Hearn and Heston Kjerstad

No player in the major leagues is more familiar with Camden Yards’ unnatural left field wall than Austin Hays.

Playing in front of a different — but also strange — one Tuesday in Houston, Hays took advantage of Minute Maid Park’s shorter left field, blasting two home runs and leading the Orioles to a 9-5 victory.

Baltimore’s bats combined for 10 hits and four homers for the club’s fourth straight win — a streak that has followed its four-game skid last week — to drop the Orioles’ magic number to win the American League East to eight.

Hays’ first homer — a three-run shot in the third to give Baltimore a lead it wouldn’t relinquish — easily made it out to the short porch in left field. It wouldn’t have been a long ball at 14 MLB stadiums, including Camden Yards, which altered its dimensions last season by moving the left field wall back almost 30 feet and increasing its height by 5 feet.

His second, though, needn’t worry about where it was hit, as the 422-foot solo shot in the seventh was a no-doubter — it would’ve been a homer in any MLB ballpark.

Hays’ homers, as well as a two-run blast from No. 3 hitter Ryan O’Hearn and a solo shot from rookie Heston Kjerstad, helped build the Orioles a 9-5 lead. James McCann and Gunnar Henderson also recorded RBIs in the sixth with a bunt single and a line drive single, respectively.

Kyle Gibson was one out away from recording his 15th win, but the veteran was pulled with two outs in the fifth after allowing three runs. The bullpen, which struggled Monday after Sunday’s draining win, bounced back Tuesday with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball.

The highlight of the relief corps’ day was its newest member. Jack Flaherty, the starting pitcher the Orioles acquired at the deadline, was temporarily — and perhaps permanently — moved to the bullpen Tuesday with the unit taxed on the 12th day of a 17-game stretch without a day off. The right-hander has pitched poorly as a starter with the Orioles, but he tossed two scoreless innings to spare the bullpen.

Yennier Cano recorded the first two outs of the ninth after Flaherty allowed a leadoff single, but with two runners on and the left-handed hitting Yordan Alvarez due up, manager Brandon Hyde called on southpaw Cionel Pérez. He handled the situation with aplomb, striking out Alvarez on three fastballs for his second save of the season.

Baltimore (95-56) remains 2 1/2 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the Angels on Tuesday, for the best record in the AL.

Around the horn

• Outfielder Aaron Hicks, who exited Monday’s win with a hamstring cramp, said he isn’t concerned and would have been available off the bench Tuesday had he been called upon to play.
• Ryan Mountcastle is “a little better,” Hyde said before the game, as the first baseman continues to make his way back from left shoulder discomfort. He didn’t play Tuesday for the sixth straight game.
• Kyle Bradish is starting Wednesday and Grayson Rodriguez is being moved up one day to start in Flaherty’s spot Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. Flaherty was temporarily moved to the bullpen Tuesday.
• Catching prospect Samuel Basallo was named the Carolina League Player of the Year on Tuesday. In his age-18 season, Basallo hit .299 with an .887 OPS in 83 games for Low-A Delmarva before his promotions to High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. Basallo is Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect, according to Baseball America.

This story will be updated.

Orioles at Astros

Wednesday, 2:10 p.m.

TV: MASN

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

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