BALTIMORE -- The Orioles got two the hard way Wednesday, when they spent an entire day at Camden Yards and went home with wins in both ends of a doubleheader. Baltimore outslugged the Phillies for a 7-4 win in the first game and a 12-5 victory in the second, and the latter result included hits from all nine of the home team's starters.

"It was a long day for both teams," said Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo, speaking about his team's first doubleheader sweep since September of the 2004 season. "I'm sure our guys are a little tired, but when you go to bed with two wins under your belt, it makes it a little easier. It was a long day for all of us -- on both sides.

"Fortunately, we rose to the occasion and did a great job."

The second game was one of Baltimore's best offensive showings all season. Seven Orioles scored, and seven of Baltimore's nine starters had at least two hits. The O's finished with 20 hits -- their second-highest total all season -- and 12 runs, which was their highest-scoring game since May 23, when Baltimore took a 14-4 win over Seattle.

The nightcap was rarely close, with Baltimore (37-42) scoring in each of the first three innings and taking a 5-1 lead before a 41-minute rain delay interrupted the game. Once the game resumed, the Orioles went right back to scoring, using a four-run fourth inning and a three-run sixth to put the Phillies (35-42) away.

"It's a nice day when you play two games and you win both of them, especially when you're facing a team that has a pretty good offense and a pretty good starting pitcher," said Baltimore catcher Ramon Hernandez, who caught 18 innings for the home team. "They've got a pretty good team. Beating them like that to start the series is pretty good.

"We'll come out tomorrow trying to play the same game we played today."

This time, the win carried a team theme. Four players -- Brandon Fahey, Melvin Mora, Jeff Conine and Nick Markakis -- scored two runs apiece. Markakis had the first four-hit game of his career, and Hernandez drove in four runs. Markakis had a two-run triple, and Hernandez blasted a three-run homer to give Baltimore an early six-run lead.

"We've been looking for him to hit the ball the way he did tonight for a while," Perlozzo said, speaking about Markakis. "He stung some balls tonight. I think that's the key for him, and it was good to see."

"Ask anybody. It's going to be frustrating," said Markakis when asked about his struggles during his rookie season. "That's one of the things you're going to go through in baseball. You've just got to go out there, work hard and work through it."

Kris Benson took all that support and turned it into his third straight win, pitching into the sixth inning and leaving with a five-run cushion. The right-hander gave up a run in the first inning and spent the next two settling down, finding his best stuff before the rain delay. Afterwards, he came back out and gave it his best, but couldn't find his best form.

"I was getting a pretty good rhythm there in the second and third," Benson said, "And I felt like [I was] starting to get a little bit of a feel for my pitches. Then the rain delay set in, and it kind of went back to where it was in the first inning. I wasn't able to get that feel back, but the main point was just to go out there, continue to battle through it and try to get the win out of it."

Benson (9-5) actually loaded the bases without recording an out in the sixth, but Baltimore reliever Todd Williams erased the threat on a ground ball back to the box and a routine double-play grounder to second base.

"I thought the key to the game was Todd Williams coming in to that situation and getting a forceout at home and a double-play grounder," Perlozzo said. "I thought the game could've turned right there. That was a big play, right there."

Four of Philadelphia's five runs came on homers. Ryan Howard, the National League's reigning Rookie of the Year, added to his league-leading total with two homers (numbers 26 and 27). David Dellucci and Chase Utley added solo shots, but the road team didn't get much else. The Phillies have now lost six straight games -- their longest skid of the year.

"It was a long day. That's an understatement," said Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, who managed the second game and served a suspension in the first one. "They were teeing off on the ball. We couldn't beat them on our best day."