CHICAGO -- Pedro Alvarez is starting to feel more at ease in the American League, and it's starting to make pitchers facing him feel exactly the opposite.

Alvarez, who left the Pittsburgh Pirates to sign with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent last offseason, continued a torrid hot streak at the plate Friday night at U.S. Cellular Field. The Orioles' designated hitter went 2-for-5 and clubbed two more home runs in a 7-5 win to start a series against the Chicago White Sox, hitting solo homers in the second and eighth innings for his second two-homer performance in the past three games.

"You're facing different pitchers," Alvarez said of his first season in the AL. "You've got to face them a couple times before you can get more comfortable. Different league, different stadiums, it's all different things that you're not used to. Your best teacher is always experience, and you get experience by getting repetitions."

Alvarez has hit five home runs in the past three games and six in the past five, bringing his season total to 18. In his past seven games, he's hitting .464 with a double, six home runs and seven RBIs.

"He's just getting confident," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "There's a period you go through ... you try to be patient and realize there's some adjustments that human beings have to make. Guys that have been on different clubs know how it goes a little bit, but we have a very welcoming locker room and atmosphere, so I think that works well for us."

Manny Machado and Adam Jones also had big nights for Baltimore (62-46), which totaled 16 hits and overcame four errors to remain percentage points ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays in a virtual tie for first in the AL East.

Machado went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, and Jones was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Shortstop J.J. Hardy also finished 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Baltimore's Yovani Gallardo (4-3) started and allowed two runs in six innings to claim the victory. Former Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (2-6) started and took the loss for the White Sox (52-57).

Jose Abreu went 3-for-4 with a home run and Avisail Garcia went 1-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Chicago, which has lost seven of its last nine games and 15 of its past 22.

"You know, I think they gave us some opportunities and we just couldn't catch all the way back up," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "I liked the way our guys were going after it."

The most glaring example happened in the eighth, after Alvarez hit his second homer of the game and the Orioles made it 7-2 by padding their lead with three runs charged to right-hander Tommy Kahnle.

Chicago cut it to 7-5 with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, all charged to Darren O'Day, but couldn't draw any closer because of a base-running gaffe that was the second out in an inning-ending double play. Carlos Sanchez came too far toward third base on a ground ball to first, causing Dioner Navarro to range too far toward the plate, and Navarro was ultimately thrown out at third by Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis.

The White Sox called for a review, but the ruling was upheld after three minutes.

"It was my mistake," Sanchez said through an interpreter. "That's something that is unacceptable. That can't happen again. It's my fault."

Orioles closer Zach Britton pitched the ninth for his 34th save, but not before another controversial call on the game's final out. Justin Morneau appeared to foul a ball off his front foot on a ground ball with two outs and Abreu on second, but the ball rolled to first and was ruled a groundout to end the game.

Morneau and Ventura both argued with homeplate umpire Mike Winters to no avail.

The Orioles scored first on a solo homer to center field by Alvarez, and tacked on three more in the third against Gonzalez, on four hits and an error. Machado's two-run double highlighted the rally.

The White Sox cut it to 4-2 off Gallardo in the fourth on Abreu's solo homer to center, his second in as many games after going 32 games without one, and Garcia's RBI double.

"The most important thing is I was able to get ahead of hitters," Gallardo said. "We established the fastball early and then (were) aggressive in the (strike) zone. Everything else played off of that."

NOTES: White Sox rookie SS Tim Anderson didn't play and is day to day after being struck on the left hand with a pitch Thursday in Detroit. ... Chicago had two players undergo surgery Friday. Rookie OF Charlie Tilson, who will miss the rest of the season, had surgery to repair a torn hamstring; RHP Zach Putnam had a bone fragment removed from his throwing elbow and is rehabbing in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... Orioles LHP Wade Miley, who took a line drive off his left calf Thursday against the Texas Rangers, isn't expected to miss a turn in the rotation. ... Baltimore LHP T.J. McFarland (left knee) will begin his minor league rehab assignment Tuesday. ... Orioles OF Joey Rickard (thumb) is still wearing a splint, but reported to Class A Sarasota to begin rehab work. ... RHP Hunter Harvey, one of the Orioles' top prospects, will report to Sarasota to begin his rehab after undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 26. ... Another of Baltimore's top pitching prospects, LHP Chris Lee (left lat strain), is scheduled to begin light throwing Saturday at Double-A Bowie.