O's Power Surge Jolts Jays

6-Run Eighth Includes 3 Homers as 4-0 Deficit Is Erased: Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5

TORONTO, June 6 -- For seven innings Friday night, the Baltimore Orioles put forth a languid effort against Toronto Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum, who dominated behind his arsenal of nasty cutters and change-ups. And even when Marcum walked off the mound for good in the eighth inning, shortly after yielding a leadoff double to Brian Roberts, the scoreboards at Rogers Centre still displayed a four-run lead that 23,649 fans fully expected to stand.

But the Orioles, watching from their dugout, could sense a change in the offing.

"We knew something was going to happen," Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said.

And by the time the eighth inning came to an end, something indeed had happened: Baltimore made up for an entire evening of indifference, dodged a near disaster of its own and finished a 6-5 comeback victory.

After Marcum threw seven scoreless innings -- a dominating performance that first baseman Kevin Millar said "makes you look so dead" -- the Orioles experienced a grand rebirth.

The Orioles terrorized the Blue Jays' bullpen, scoring six runs behind three home runs, the last by Jones to push Baltimore ahead to stay. Behind Jones's second straight game-winning homer, the Orioles continued to shed their road weary reputation, taking the series opener while climbing back to .500 (30-30) for the first time since May 28.

"Tonight speaks highly for what the guys are doing as a team," said Orioles Manager Dave Trembley, whose team has won four of its past five games. "Give us a little bit of an opening, and we're going to take advantage of it."

After the game, Trembley said the Orioles' resurgence has been the product of hard work, not "just because manna from heaven is falling down from the sky."

Marcum pitched with the lead from the second inning on, as Toronto chased left-handed starter Brian Burres after a forgettable 4 1/3 innings.

But after Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons pulled Marcum, left-handed reliever Brian Tallet allowed Nick Markakis to drive home Roberts with a single, part of a 4-for-4 night.

"I was just happy they took [Marcum] out," Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora said. "He controlled the game pretty good. We couldn't find a way to beat that guy."

Mora followed by golfing a fastball from Tallet over the fence in straightaway center for a two-run shot to bring Baltimore within one.