Pearce leads the way: Orioles sweep the Rays
Just imagine if Chris Davis wouldn’t have been hurt. Would Steve Pearce show his face again in an Orioles uniform?
Steve Wayne Pearce, a native of Lakeland, Florida, has never batted more than 165 times in one season, and that was with Pittsburgh in 2009. That was the same season in which he rapped 13 doubles, a career high. He’s been with the Twins and Yankees and we actually paid cash for his services in June of 2012. In other words, he’s not a starter.
And there was Pearce penciled into the lineup at first base last night (Thursday) in Florida. And when the game was over, Pearce had made it into ESPN’s top plays for a nice stretch that completed a key double play ending a Rays’ threat. He also blasted a two-run homer off the Rays’ pitching ace, David Price. It just goes to show you. Anyone can be a hero on any particular day.
Sweep. We swept the Rays down in Florida. Yes, the team with Evan Longoria and Will Myers and a stellar pitching staff.
The three game series began on Tuesday night.. It was a battle of Chris’s. Chris Archer for Tampa and Chris Tillman for Baltimore. Our new hero, Pearce, cracked his first homer of the season in this 5-3 win. It was a battle as Longoria took Tillman out in the first inning and we were down a pair of runs. The Pearce homer and a JJ Hardy sac fly knotted this game up in the fourth. Adam Jones added another sacrifice fly and this game went to the eighth tied at 3-3.
Ryan Flaherty, yes him, had the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the eighth. Tommy Hunter had a very shaky save but that was an Orioles win at 5-3.
Game two was another tough victory. Jones saw two pitches in his first two at-bats and both left the yard. Again Tampa tied it in the sixth. In the top of the seventh, promising Jonathan Schoop cracked his third homer and he and Pearce ran home. The Birds were up a pair. Again, Hunter was not impressive. A couple of line-outs ended his trouble and the 4-3 win was in the books.
Last night it was Ubaldo Jimenez escaping trouble inning after inning. Pearce supplied the offense with his 2-run blow. Schoop drove in the third run. Both Ryan Webb and Darren O’Day did the work in relief. The first-place Birds dropped the Rays six games out in the loss column.
