“I think he?s getting his offspeed stuff over, basically, and his breaking ball, he?s been back-dooring it on the outside corner. His change-up?s been helping him, and he?s getting them over for strikes, and it makes his fastball that much better,” Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said.

Bedard was coming off his best start of the season, a performance that was certainly tough to duplicate. While he was not as dominant, he was just as crafty, mixing a fastball, curveball and change-up.

Bedard, who is usually quiet in the locker room, seemed unaffected by his recent stretch and pointed to his supportive defense.

“It?s great. You just got to let them hit the ball and let them make the plays,” Bedard said.

His catcher, Ramon Hernandez, said Bedard is now in full command of his arsenal.

“He?s pitching pretty tough. Right now I think he?s on top of his game,” Hernandez said.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts hit his first home run since Aug. 30 of last season. Roberts, who dislocated his elbow last season, has failed to match the power numbers he displayed last season when he had 18 home runs.

“I knew that my power might drop just because of strength-wise, and not being in the same physical position I was last year to be able to, but I knew I probably would hit one eventually,” Roberts said. “It wasn?t on my mind. I never thought about it.”

The Birds used a three-run third inning to provide the distance, with a two-run home run from Hernandez being the capper.

Left fielder Jeff Conine turned what looked like a single into a triple when his hit off the scoreboard bounced past right fielder Bobby Abreu earlier in that inning. Conine scored a battler later on a groundout by Corey Patterson.

Perlozzo said that Hayden Penn, an Orioles pitching prospect, would likely be sent back to Ottawa when he is recalled from the DL.