Jones' perfect night carries Orioles past Rays
BALTIMORE-- Adam Jones went 3-for-3 and capped the perfect night with a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning that helped the Baltimore Orioles earn a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
The Orioles (13-5) banged out three homers off Rays starter Chris Archer, all of them in the sixth and seventh innings. Archer (3-1) had not allowed a homer this season before that.
Hyun Soo Kim and Jonathan Schoop hit back-to-back solo shots in the sixth that tied the game at 3. Seth Smith walked to start the seventh, and Jones followed with his two-run blast.
Jones finished with a single, a double, a homer and a walk, reaching base in all four plate appearances. Schoop added a sacrifice fly in the eighth for some insurance.
There also was a 19-minute rain delay in the bottom of the eighth.
Corey Dickerson gave Tampa Bay (10-11) the lead by opening the first inning with a homer. Shane Peterson added a tiebreaking two-run double in the fourth before Baltimore tied it with the homers in the sixth.
Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez had control issues, walking five in 3 1/3 innings. He walked four in the fourth inning alone as Tampa Bay scored those two runs. Jimenez wound up charged with three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
The Orioles then got stellar bullpen work after that, blanking the Rays. Vidal Nuno threw 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and he was followed by Mychal Givens (3-0, 1 2/3 innings), Donnie Hart (one-third of an inning) before Brad Brach closed it in the ninth, earning his fourth save.
Archer gave up five runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
NOTES: LHP Zach Britton (left forearm strain) threw from 90 feet and did well before the game, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. If Britton feels OK Tuesday, he will have a full side session on Wednesday. ... Orioles CF Adam Jones got his 1,500th career hit, a single in the fifth. ... Rays RF Steven Souza Jr. was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday, which also was his 28th birthday. Souza hit .414 with two homers and nine RBIs last week.