HOUSTON -- Astros manager A.J. Hinch continues to make clear his desire for his club to score early in addition to tallying runs late, but Houston's habit of late-inning rallies continues to produce thrills and wins.

Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis capped a four-run, seventh-inning rally with a two-run, two-out single as the Astros claimed a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.

After scuffling for most of the night against Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, the Astros (32-20) suddenly caught fire in the seventh, starting with a leadoff double by first baseman Chris Carter. Houston added three more hits against two Baltimore relievers, with Gattis' opposite-field hit to right field coming off right-hander Tommy Hunter.

The Astros loaded the bases against right-hander Brad Brach (3-1) before right fielder George Springer added a run-scoring single to center on a 3-0 pitch and second baseman Jose Altuve chipped in a sacrifice fly. Houston has scored 94 runs in the seventh inning or later this season, a total that leads the majors.

"We just get a little tighter focus as the game goes along," Hinch said. "We walk the tightrope sometimes and when we don't do it, it can be a little bit demoralizing. Like yesterday we didn't. We got guys on base and didn't come through.

"It's a confident group as the game gets going but I don't really have a rhyme or reason why we're so potent late in the game."

Jimenez allowed just three hits before Carter chased him with his double. The Houston bullpen then did what the Orioles could not, with right-handers Will Harris (2-0), Pat Neshek and Luke Gregerson combining to retire all 11 batters they faced. Gregerson recorded his 14th save by setting the Orioles (23-27) down in order in the ninth.

"A little bit of everything," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of his reasons for removing Jimenez after only 91 pitches. "He'd done his job and he didn't deserve to have anything but a no decision or a ‘W' out of that. We thought that was our best opportunity especially with the way Brad's been pitching. We just got a different Brad tonight."

Said Jimenez: "As a starting pitcher, you never want to come out of the game but it's part of the game. You have to do whatever is good for the team."

Jimenez scattered 10 hits against the Astros last week but was decidedly more effective Monday, establishing his dominance early.

Before left fielder Preston Tucker slapped a double the opposite way to left field with one out in the fourth, Jimenez had yet to allow a hit. He surrendered his first run in the fifth when third baseman Luis Valbuena cranked his 11th home run to right field, pulling the Astros even at 1-1.

Astros left-hander Brett Oberholtzer danced around a pair of baserunners in the third and fourth innings. But, after surrendering an RBI triple to second baseman Ryan Flaherty in the fifth, Oberholtzer allowed three batters to reach in succession with one out in the sixth.

The final batter, Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, walloped a double off the right-field wall to score Adam Jones and chase Oberholtzer. Harris entered and snuffed that threat to keep the deficit at 2-1 by retiring both batters he faced with two runners in scoring position.

That set the stage for the Astros to do what they've done as well as any team in the majors through two months: score late and rally to victory.

"Just slowing everything down and you just have to understand that they have to throw you something over the plate at some point and this is a hard game," Springer said. "So if you get something to hit, you've got to hit it. But I just think we have a good overall approach and been able to execute it."

NOTES: After missing consecutive games for the first time since September 2011, Orioles DH Adam Jones returned to the starting line