Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Alex Cintron went 3-for-4, scored twice and belted his first homer of the season, and the Baltimore Orioles survived a shaky ninth inning to wrap up a three-game sweep of the stumbling Houston Astros with a 7-5 win.

Brian Burres (6-5) gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, fanning three and walking two to get the win. Ramon Hernandez and Aubrey Huff also homered for the Orioles, who have won five of six.

Shawn Chacon (2-3) was raked for six runs on eight hits in five innings, with no strikeouts and four walks. Lance Berkman had three hits and drove in a run, and Hunter Pence and Miguel Tejada both homered for Houston, which has lost eight straight and 17 of 20.

"Shawn [Chacon] was either missing by a lot or got the middle part of the plate," said Astros manager Cecil Cooper. "You catch the middle and get behind, big league hitters usually do a pretty good job on you. He missed his spots, he was behind quite a few hitters and you can't hit from behind at this level."

Trailing 2-1, Baltimore moved in front with two solo shots in the fourth. Hernandez led off with a blast to left, his fourth of the season, tying the game at 2-2. A batter later Cintron ripped a one-out solo homer to right- center to give the O's the lead.

Baltimore pulled away with three more runs in the fifth. Melvin Mora and Huff hit consecutive singles to start the frame, and Kevin Millar doubled to left- center, plating Mora. Jay Payton then came through with a two-out knock to right-center, a two-run single, and Baltimore led 6-2.

Tejada got one run right back for the Astros leading off the sixth, as he leaned out and pulled a pitch just over the fence in left-center, his 10th homer of the season. Huff restored the four-run edge for the O's with his 12th homer, however, a shot to right-center to lead off the seventh.

Holding a 7-3 lead in the ninth, the game got hairy with Dennis Sarfate on the mound for Baltimore. Sarfate walked Ty Wigginton, and Cintron misplayed a grounder up the middle off the bat of Mark Loretta, putting runners on first and second. Michael Bourn worked a one-out walk to load the bases, bringing on George Sherrill for the O's.

Kaz Matsui greeted Sherrill with a fly out to right, deep enough to plate Wigginton. Tejada then reached on an infield single, scoring Loretta to make it a two-run game for Berkman. Sherrill was able to get Berkman to fly out to shallow left, however, nailing down the win and his 24th save.

"When you get a sweep I don't care if it's easy, hard, indifferent, we'll take it," said O's manager Dave Trembley. "It's a positive occurrence around here. I don't think that's happened very much. We had to work for it."

The Astros took an early 2-0 lead on an RBI single by Berkman in the first, and on Pence's leadoff homer to left in the second. The Orioles had a chance to get some runs back in the third when Chacon walked Millar to force in a run with two outs, but Luke Scott lined out to center to end the frame with Houston still holding a 2-1 lead.