James Shields’ economical pitching helps Tampa Bay Rays defeat Baltimore Orioles 6-2 – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays’ starter James Shields was amazing with the ball as he pitched seven innings and gave away just one run on three hits in the Rays’ 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park in Baltimore on May 6.
Shields permitted three walks and struck out five batters. He improved his ERA to 1.12. James expressed his feelings as, “It was raining pretty hard out there. Having to deal with the delays out there, with that team and that line-up over there, to be able
to hold them in check is pretty nice.”
The scorecard remained empty for both sides during the first inning. The Rays took three runs in the second inning to get the initial 3-0 lead when Brandon Guyer hit a solo homer, B.J. Upton singled and Evan Longoria played a shot for a double. Longoria
went 2-for-4 and contributed two runs in the Rays’ scorecard.
Guyer was considered as the first player in the Rays’ history to hit a homer in his debut. He was recalled from Triple-A Durham before few days to strengthen the Rays’ roster. Guyer felt very excited as he said, “I was so ecstatic I just wanted to make sure
I didn't trip. It's the last thing I thought would have happened. For me to get a home run, it's pretty cool.”
The third, fourth and fifth inning were silent for the Rays. On the other side, the Orioles were also unable to score until the fifth inning. It seemed that the pitchers overcome the batters completely. The Orioles scored in the sixth inning and reduced
the lead to 3-1 when Derrek Lee struck a one-run homer against Shields. The seventh inning also passed without a single run.
During the eighth inning, Casey Kotchman took an RBI single against the Orioles’ reliever Jeremy Accardo to extend his club’s lead to 4-1. Johnny Damon added a two-run homer in the ninth inning for the Rays while Vladimir Guerrero singled in the end to cut
their deficit to 6-2.
The Rays’ Manager Joe Maddon gave all credit to Shields who pitched superbly to restrict the score of the Orioles. He said, “That's what he's been, he's really been sharp. Sharp on both sides of the plate, sharp with all his pitches. He's been very frugal
with his pitches, getting deep into the game.”
The Orioles’ starter Zach Britton, who pitched well in the previous games, disappointed his team officials with his shaky performance. He permitted three runs on four hits in five innings pitched. Britton struck-out only four batters and gave away one walk
to the Rays. Koji Uehara was also expensive and allowed two runs on two hits in just one inning pitched.
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