Davis’ Streak Hits 30

CLEVELAND —  Eric Davis has been a leader as Baltimore tries to overcome its bad first half.

“I feel good right now, but the important thing today is we didn’t let this game get away and came back to win,” Davis said Saturday after going four for four and extending his hitting streak to 30 games in a 9-8, 10-inning victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Baltimore took a 7-1 lead, nearly blew it when Armando Benitez gave up two runs in the ninth, then won it on Brady Anderson’s homer leading off the 10th.

“When it was, 7-1, we didn’t anticipate this kind of game,” said Davis, on the longest hitting streak of his career, “but Cleveland is a tremendous team, especially at home.”

Baltimore, which routed Cleveland, 15-3, Friday night, is 27-7 since the All-Star break. Cleveland, which got a career-high four RBIs from Richie Sexson, is 16-20 since the break.

Davis’ hitting streak is the longest since Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra had a 30-game streak from July 26-Aug. 29, 1997. But the Orioles nearly were undone by Benitez (5-3), who blew a save for the second time in 19 chances.

Anderson saved the Orioles when he hit his home run on the first pitch of the 10th from Doug Jones (0-1).

Baltimore’s Chris Hoiles, who had a major league record-tying two grand slams Friday night, had two singles and two RBIs.