Orioles 7, Rays 4
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chris Davis knocked in three runs, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters drove in two runs apiece, and the Baltimore Orioles used a five-run, seventh-inning rally to produce a 7-4 Opening Day rout of the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
Jones (3-for-5) ripped a two-out, two-run double off reliever Jake McGee to score Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis. Davis followed an intentional walk to Wieters (2-for-2) with a towering three-run homer to right, pushing Baltimore's lead to 7-3.
McGee (0-1) was charged with all five runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Tampa Bay took a 3-2 lead in the sixth off Orioles starter Jason Hammel. With the Rays trailing 1-0, ninth-place hitter Kelly Johnson led off with a walk and scored from first on Desmond Jennings' double into the left field corner. Jennings moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a Ben Zobrist sacrifice fly to center.
Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner David Price did not figure in the decision after allowing two earned runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked two while throwing 100 pitches.
Hammel (1-0) allowed three runs on three hits in six innings.
Orioles reliever Darren O'Day allowed an unearned run in the eighth inning, and Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.
Wieters' two-run homer gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead in a first-inning rally that began with two outs and the bases empty.
Jones started it against Price with a double before Wieters mashed an 0-and-1 changeup over the left field wall. Price labored through the early innings but escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third to keep the Rays close.
Zobrist cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth when he homered to right on a 3-and-2 pitch from Hammel.
Jennings and Zobrist each had two of the Rays' six hits.
NOTES: The Rays had no rookies on the Opening Day roster for the first time in club history. ... The start by Price marked the 74th time a reigning Cy Young winner drew the Opening Day assignment the following year since the award was established in 1956. ... Third baseman Manny Machado became the fourth Oriole to start on Opening Day at age 20 or younger. Machado, 20, joins Brooks Robinson (1957, '58) Ron Hansen (1958), Boog Powell (1962) and Wally Bunker (1965).
