ANAHEIM -- Brian Burres came off the mound after pitching five innings that he said felt like 10. Throwing a pair of changeups to Vladimir Guerrero in game situations will age a pitcher, but Burres showed that while he may not pitch with velocity, audacity is not something that can be measured on a device.

Throwing a fastball that registered a radar gun reading that wouldn't get a speeding ticket in Southern California, Burres battled through five innings and gave Baltimore a shot of electricity. He gave the Orioles just enough to extend their season-high winning streak to six games and climb back to the .500 mark for the first time since May 11 with a 6-2 victory over the Angels before 42,266 Thursday at Angel Stadium.

Perhaps there's a parallel between the success of Burres and the sudden surge of the Orioles. Six games ago, they were six games below .500. They have gotten hot on their longest road trip of the season.

Burres' (3-2) defense made the kinds of plays associated with teams that play well. The end result was that Baltimore (27-27) found its way back to level ground after a nosedive that had rumors swirling about the demise of manager Sam Perlozzo.

Instead, Baltimore is feeling better and playing better. Burres allowed a first-inning RBI double to Guerrero, but beat him in key situations in the third and fifth innings. He allowed one run and three hits, despite walking three, and added three strikeouts.

The Orioles tagged Angels starter and longtime nemesis Kelvim Escobar (6-3) with a three-run fifth inning, prompted by opposite-field RBI hits by Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis. Danys Baez pitched a scoreless sixth inning to halt his recent slide, and relievers Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford and Chris Ray combined to close out the Angels (33-22) on one run over the final four innings.

Playing well with many pieces fitting together, the Orioles seemed to draw enthusiasm from the performance of Burres. Before the game, pitching coach Leo Mazzone broke down the 26-year-old and closed his assessment with the thought that Burres pitches with, shall we say, fearlessness.

"He's a kid that's sneaky quick and has a full package of pitches," Mazzone said. "He has an assortment of pitches and he uses all of them. The gun will say 88 or 89 [mph], but he looks faster."

That characteristic hasn't gone unnoticed in the Baltimore clubhouse.

"I think he's got guts," said Roberts, who went 3-for-4. "He's not afraid. He's proven that to us quickly. He's been in some situations where he could fold and he hasn't."

The Orioles fought back after a slow start to the month. Burres fought through a start in which he didn't overpower, but got outs by inviting contact, especially against Guerrero.

With the game tied at 1 in the third and a runner at second, Burres threw a changeup, and got Guerrero to hit a broken-bat ground ball to second to end the inning.

Protecting a 4-1 lead in the fifth and facing Guerrero with runners on the corners for what was probably going to be his final batter, Burres threw yet another changeup, this one about shoelace high. Guerrero muscled it into shallow center field, but Jay Payton made a diving catch to end the inning.

"[Mazzone] has got me a little bit more locked in as far as the starting role," Burres said. "I try to throw all four pitches. The main thing is to try to get them to put the ball in play. Whatever's working for me that day is the pitch I go with."

The changeup was his best pitch Thursday, but it was his ability to not back down that helped the Orioles continue their turnaround.

"I don't think he fears the big situation," first baseman Kevin Millar said. "He has a lot of confidence in himself and his ability and it shows.

"He changes speeds well. I think he's got both sides of the plate with a good changeup and a slider. He's got a knack for pitching. He knows what to do out there. He takes a little off and puts a little on when he needs to. That's pitching."

For Baltimore, that's winning, leaving Perlozzo pleased, but cautiously optimistic.

"There are a lot of good signs out there, but there's a lot of baseball to be played," he said. "I think we needed to do something good against a good team. Burres was not afraid. He knows if he makes a good pitch, he's got a chance."

For the first time in a few weeks, the same can be said for the Orioles.

John Klima is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.