The Orioles' bullpen held on for a 7-5 win against Detroit, which came thanks to timely hits from Chris Davis, Nick Markakis, J.J. Hardy, Nate McLouth and Adam Jones.

The win put the Tigers two games behind the Orioles for the second wild-card spot. Wei-Yin Chen went five innings and got his 12th victory of the season. Chen gave up seven hits and five runs.

Davis homered for the second consecutive game and notched his 20th of the season. With 60 RBIs, Davis trails Jones and Matt Wieters for the team lead by two. Davis may lead the team with 127 strikeouts, but he's come up big recently.

Here's what's noticeable about the Orioles: they're getting better. It's not the first time the Birds have caught fire under manager Buck Showalter during the late summer and early fall. The Orioles were 34-23 under Showalter when he debuted Aug. 4 two years ago. They were 27-30 a year ago in August (they were just 12-17) and September. Thus far, the team has won 11 of 17 games this month.

Unlike the previous two seasons, in 2012, the Orioles have something other than pride at stake. The club heads to Texas to start a series tomorrow and the Orioles have won just one of four against the Rangers this season. If the Orioles are peaking right now, this three-game series will provide perspective.

Posted Aug. 19, 2012