Ramon Hernandez and Aubrey Huff also connected for the Orioles, whose last three-game sweep of an interleague foe came in June 2005 - at home against Houston. Baltimore fell behind 2-0 before winning for the 17th time when trailing by at least two runs.
Brian Burres (6-5) allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings to help the Orioles climb three games over .500 (37-34) for the first time since May 21.
George Sherrill entered with the bases loaded in the ninth and gave up a sacrifice fly to Kazuo Matsui and a run-scoring infield hit to Miguel Tejada before retiring Lance Berkman on a short fly ball to earn his 24th save.
Tejada and Hunter Pence homered, and Berkman had three hits for the Astros, who have been outscored 57-28 during their eight-game skid. Houston has lost a franchise-record six straight interleague games and is 1-8 against AL foes.
Tejada went 2-for-5 and finished 2-for-12 in his first series against the Orioles since they traded him to the Astros in December.
Hernandez and Cintron hit solo homers in the fourth inning off Shawn Chacon (2-3) to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead. It was Hernandez’s fifth of the season and Cintron’s first.
The Orioles made it 6-2 in the fifth. Melvin Mora and Huff singled before Kevin Millar hit an RBI double. Chacon then got two outs before Jay Payton lined a two-run single over a leaping Matsui at second base.
Tejada led off the sixth with his 10th home run, but Houston had only three hits the rest of the way.
Huff homered off former Oriole Tim Byrdak leading off the seventh. It was his 12th, tied for the team lead.
The Astros went up 1-0 when Michael Bourn beat out a bunt on the game’s first pitch, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Berkman. Pence led off the second with his ninth home run, his first this season on the road.
Baltimore got a run back in the third when Chacon issued three walks, the last to Millar with the bases loaded. Chacon then retired Luke Scott, who came to the Orioles in the Tejada trade.
