It's time to BUCKle up! What a game. A.J 10 (Adam Jones) went 3-5 with 2 doubles, Wieters went 2-3 with a homer and two doubles, and Chris Davis went 1-4 with a homer.
#1. A trio of O's provide win over Rays.
#2. Riemold makes a nice catch in the first.
#3. Jones' two run double pulls the O's ahead.
#4. Davis blows it open with three-run hoer.
#5. Wieters clubs a two-run shot in the first.
The Orioles said throughout Spring Training they weren't concerned with outside expectations, projections or what national pundits thought of their incredible 2012 season. There was no need for manager Buck Showalter's crew to come out and make public statements or quote those who chalked up last year as a fluke for motivational fodder. In fact, there was no need for talking at all.
Instead, the Orioles -- proudly wearing T-shirts reading "To be continued" all Spring Training -- went out and proved it on Tuesday, rallying for a five-run seventh inning and using some solid pitching to make a strong season-opening statement with a 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Opening Day victory, in front of an announced sellout crowd of 34,078 at Tropicana Field, gave the Orioles their 10th win in the last 13 season openers.
"We know what's going on in the clubhouse," said Orioles starter Jason Hammel, who fired six strong innings to pick up the win. "For all the things that happened outside the clubhouse, we come out; we barely changed the team this year. Same lineup, except for a couple of guys.
"It's something we're proud of. We're going to continue to play hard. It was [No.] 1 of 162. We'll come back tomorrow and continue to do it. We're just having fun, and really, we have our own expectations."
While much was made this winter about the Orioles' decision not to acquire a true middle-of-the-order bat, the trio of Matt Wieters, Adam Jones and Chris Davis -- a group the organization hoped would continue to get better -- looked plenty potent, combining to go 6-for-12 with three doubles, two homers and all seven RBIs.
"We feel that in-house, we have the same ability to do what we did last year," said Davis, whose three-run homer capped a barrage of two-out runs off Rays reliever Jake McGee. "We have the same group of guys. We have the experience that we didn't have last year. We're very confident with the group that we have, not to mention the fact that we have good chemistry here. That goes a long way in this game."
Using the pass-the-baton approach that Showalter endorses, Davis watched from the on-deck circle as Rays manager Joe Maddon issued an intentional walk to Wieters, who had already doubled and hit a two-run homer off Tampa Bay ace David Price.
"You never want to be the guy [behind] the guy getting walks," said Jones, who got the seventh-inning scoring started by sending an 0-2 pitch into left-center-field field for a go-ahead two-run double. "It's like saying, 'All right; we think you're an easier out than this guy.' So you take it upon yourself to go out and get a big knock. And [Davis] went out there, first pitch, and tomahawked a 98-mph fastball at his neck. That's C.D."
Brittany Ghiroli, MLB.com news.
Now, let's take number two away from the Rays! Let's go Chen! Let's go O's!
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