Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) – Wade Davis threw eight strong innings and was backed by a seven-run third inning, as the Tampa Bay Rays crushed the Baltimore Orioles, 8-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Camden Yards.
Davis (7-9) held the Orioles to one run on seven hits and one walk to get the victory for a second consecutive start. His eight innings pitched are a season high.
Jason Bartlett had a two-run single in the third inning and finished 2-for-3 for Tampa Bay, which was coming off a series loss to the Yankees in the Bronx. Evan Longoria went 3-for-5 with an RBI.
Orioles starter Chris Tillman (1-4) didn’t make it through three full innings and was the victim of the Rays’ outburst. He was responsible for giving up all eight Rays runs, allowing seven hits and walking four while recording just eight outs.
Cesar Izturis went 2-for-2 and drove in the lone run for the Orioles, who were swept in three games by Toronto over the weekend. Baltimore scored just five runs in that series.
Ben Zobrist put the Rays ahead with an RBI ground-rule double in the second, and Tampa Bay blew the game open in the third. Longoria led off with a single, Tillman hit Carlos Pena with a pitch, and Matt Joyce lined a double to right to plate the inning’s first run.
John Jaso worked a walk to load the bases, with still nobody out, prompting a coaching visit to the mound. But Tillman continued to struggle, walking B.J. Upton to force in a run. Bartlett followed with a single to center to bring in two and leave runners on the corners for Sean Rodriguez, whose sacrifice bunt brought Upton home.
Tillman retired Zobrist to set up a possible escape from the inning, but Carl Crawford tripled, bringing Bartlett in from second base. That was it for Tillman, who was replaced by Matt Albers. Longoria returned to the plate for a second time and singled in Crawford to make it an 8-0 game before Albers struck out Pena.
Albers pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, but the massive inning was all the Rays needed, and there was little scoring for the rest of the game. Izturis put the Orioles on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the fifth.
The Rays improved their MLB-best road record to 30-16. They are 6-1 against the Orioles this season and 24-12 against the AL East…The Orioles went a fourth consecutive game without a home run. They had seven hits Monday compared to nine for Tampa Bay, but only one went for extra bases — Ty Wigginton’s fourth-inning double…Baltimore went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, while Tampa Bay was 5-for-10.