Baltimore Orioles overpower Tampa Bay Rays
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Version 0 of 1. BALTIMORE — Chris Tillman rebounded from a rocky first inning to outduel Tampa Bay Rays ace Chris Archer and pitch the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-1 victory Friday night at Camden Yards. The Orioles (4-0) have opened the season with four straight victories or better for the eighth time in club history and the first time since 2011. Tillman allowed three hits and a walk in the first inning, but a mammoth home run by Evan Longoria turned out to be the only run the right-hander would surrender over five innings. He threw 83 pitches and allowed just one more hit on the way to a decision that was all but sealed when Baltimore erupted for four runs off Archer in the fifth — three of them on solo home runs by Jonathan Schoop, Nolan Reimold and Manny Machado. Chris Davis hit his second home run of the young season in the second. It was the first time this season that the high-powered Orioles lineup really flexed its muscle and it did so against one of the brightest young pitchers in the game. Archer was making his second start of the season after striking out 12 batters in just five innings Sunday. Left-hander T.J. McFarland came in to replace Tillman at the start of the sixth and threw three innings of one-hit scoreless relief in his first appearance of 2016. When Brad Brach pitched a scoreless ninth, it was the 13th relief appearance by a Baltimore pitcher this season. Eleven of those appearances have been scoreless, and the Orioles’ bullpen has a 1.59 combined ERA. Baltimore rookie Joey Rickard had two singles and has hit safely in all four games this season. — Baltimore Sun |