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O's earn series sweep of Reds

Sep 5, 2014 - 4:54 AM Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - J.J. Hardy hit a two-run single in the seventh inning and the Baltimore Orioles grabbed a 9-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds to polish off a three-game sweep.

Nick Hundley hit a three-run home run and Nelson Cruz added a two-run home run for the Orioles, who have won seven of their last eight games.

Chris Tillman worked six innings and gave up three runs on five hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts. Tommy Hunter (3-2) got the win for 1 1/3 innings of relief.

"(Wins) don't have to be aesthetically pretty," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I'm not looking for pretty, I'm looking for (wins). I thought it was beautiful. I thought it was real pretty."

Devin Mesoraco hit a solo home run and drove in four runs for the Reds, who have dropped five of six.

Mike Leake was beat up for seven runs on seven hits over four innings, while Manny Parra (0-2) was handed the loss.

"The one thing that impressed me about the Orioles is if they got a mistake, if we gave them a mistake, they did damage," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

Baltimore had a five-run lead, but the Reds tied the game with a run in the sixth and four more in the seventh.

The Orioles, though, loaded the bases with two outs in the home half of the seventh and Hardy punched a single to left to plate two for a 9-7 lead.

Hunter pitched around a leadoff double in the eighth, while Zach Britton worked a scoreless ninth for his 33rd save of the season.

Nick Markakis led off the first with a single, and Cruz blasted a pitch over the center-field wall for his 37th home run of the season. Chris Davis followed with a double, Hardy walked, and Kelly Johnson brought home one with a double. Hundley then launched a pitch over the wall in left for a 6-0 lead.

The Reds cut into their deficit in the third as a bases-loaded walk from Todd Frazier brought in one run, and Mesoraco followed with a sacrifice fly to make it a 6-2 game.

Jonathan Schoop's one-out, solo home run in the fourth inning posted Baltimore to a 7-2 lead.

Mesoraco hit a solo home run in the sixth to get the Reds within four, and the team tied the game in the seventh.

With the bases loaded and two outs, a wild pitch scored Tucker Barnhart and Mesoraco followed with a two-run double. A single by Donald Lutz scored Mesoraco to make it a 7-7 game.

Game Notes

The Orioles clinched their third straight winning season for the first time since 1992-94 ... Baltimore starts a three-game series in Tampa Bay on Friday ... The Reds host the Mets for a three-game set starting Friday.