Orioles slam Cardinals with 6 HR

The O's unloaded on an unsuspecting Justin Masterson and St. Louis Cardinals Friday night, scoring their most runs since April.

An offense which has been largely dormant for most of the season may have finally awoken as the Orioles opened up for 12 runs on 15 hits -- which included six home runs from five different hitters -- against the St. Louis Cardinals in Baltimore on Friday night.

Led by J.J. Hardy, the only of the quintet to hit two HR, the O's -- who are five games clear of the Yankees for first in the AL East -- scored in the double digits for the first time since April 24, according to the Associated Press. Along with Hardy, Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Ryan Flaherty all drove the ball out of the park, bringing 10 of those dozen runs across the plate. Baltimore's line-up was unrelenting for much of the game and completely indiscriminate in who they hit out of the game.

They ran through new Cards pitcher Justin Masterson, scoring five times in two innings, then roughed up Nick Greenwood for four in only three and bludgeoned poor Sam Freeman for three runs in just a single inning of work. The onslaught was not how Masterson had hoped his second start for the organization would go, a point he would make plainly to the AP: "This is not the best thing you want to do when you come to a new team."

As is so often the case, Masterson may want to take advice from former Red Sox catcher, recent St. Louis acquisition and noted fountain of sage wisdom on how to make new friends, A.J. Pierzynski, on do's and don'ts of joining a new team.

Great moments in #Bro history

The Upton brothers have homered in the same game for the 5th time as teammates, an MLB record for teammates who were brothers
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 9, 2014