Pop the champagne corks and blow the party horns. The Orioles have recorded a winning August.

It took 13 years, a period in which seven Orioles managers have picked up an August defeat, but the club can finally put to rest one of the more embarrassing examples of its recent futility.

With their 5-0 victory Saturday night over the Los Angeles Angels, the Orioles (47-83) improved to 15-11 this month with two games to play, clinching their first winning August since 1997, when Davey Johnson led the Orioles to an 18-10 mark and the organization's last playoff berth.

It was the Orioles' first winning month of five games or more since June 2008. Perhaps coincidentally, this is also the first month of manager Buck Showalter's Orioles' tenure.

"It just means we are winning more games than we are losing right now. Maybe playing a little better on the road," said Showalter, who took over the club Aug. 2, after the team lost its first August game in Kansas City.

"I know it does [matter] to a lot of people, and it does matter to me, too," Showalter said. "Because any [time] that we can feel like some things are getting better. I'm in.

"It's kind of like the economy. You like anything that might show that things might have a chance to get better. … Just the thought that maybe things are going to get better. Maybe everything that has been the case has a chance to get better. That's really all it means. It could be very short-lived. I don't think anybody in there is going to dwell on it other than they are playing good baseball and getting returns for it."

Saturday's win followed the blueprint the Orioles inexplicably have forged since Showalter took over: ride strong starting pitching. For the 17th time in Showalter's 25 games, the Orioles received a quality start. They had 44 in the first 105 contests this year.

This time it was veteran Kevin Millwood, who had allowed multiple runs in the first inning in 12 of his previous 16 starts. He threw a perfect first inning Saturday and didn't stop there. He retired the first eight batters he faced before giving up a double to Peter Bourjos with two outs in the third.

Millwood (3-14) hadn't picked up a win since June 24 at Camden Yards against the Florida Marlins. He was 0-6 with three no-decisions during that time. But he was superb Saturday against the scuffling Angels (63-67), who have won all five contests against the Orioles this year.

"It's definitely nice to win a ballgame and win it convincingly," Millwood said. "That was huge."

The Angels had their chances but were just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position against Millwood, who allowed runners to reach base in six of eight innings but continually pitched out of potential jams. In the seventh, for instance, he gave up a one-out double and a single and then induced consecutive pop-ups to keep the club's fourth shutout intact.

He tied a season high in innings pitched, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out five.

"I feel so good for him because I know how much he cares," Showalter said. "How much it means to him. I know him probably as well as anybody here. He has never made one excuse. Kevin understands the job description.

Jim Johnson, who hadn't pitched in a big league game since April 30 because of an elbow injury, threw a scoreless ninth.

While Millwood was putting up zeros, the Orioles' offense chipped away at left-hander Scott Kazmir (8-12), the former Tampa Bay Rays All-Star who entered the night with a 6.33 ERA and just one quality start in his past eight outings.

Rookie Josh Bell broke the scoreless tie in the fifth with his third homer of the season, drilling Kazmir's 92 mph fastball over the right-center-field wall for a 2-0 lead. They tacked on two more runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Jake Fox and Cesar Izturis.

Fox earned his RBI; he hit a grounder to Kazmir's left that the pitcher picked up. But with first baseman Mike Napoli also attempting to get the bouncer, first base was left uncovered. Fox hustled down the line and slid into the bag just ahead of Kazmir. The Angels' pitcher landed on the infield dirt and then, from his back, threw home. It was too late to get Ty Wigginton, who had scampered home from second base.

"When I looked up and started running, I saw the first baseman break for it and [Kazmir] break for it, and so I knew first base was open," Fox said. "So I just ran as hard as I could down the line, and he picked up the ball and was running after me. And as soon as I saw him start to dive, I kind of dove away from him and tried to keep my foot on the bag."

Izturis had three hits, and four in a row, after breaking a 0-for-18 slump on Friday.

If the Orioles can win Sunday, they will have swept the Angels in a season series for the first time in club history. Their previous best record against the Angels came in 2003, when they went 8-1. That was the last time the Orioles have won the season series.

dan.connolly@baltsun.com

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