GONZALEZ, O'S STYMIE RAYS
Hardy, Flaherty Go Deep for Birds

BALTIMORE, Apr. 16 (AP) - Miguel Gonzalez held the Tampa Bay Rays to two singles over seven shutout innings and the Baltimore Orioles went on to a 4-0 victory at Camden Yards.  Brian Matusz and Zach Britton each tossed a perfect inning for the Orioles.  J.J. Hardy and Ryan Flaherty accounted for all of the scoring with a two-run fourth inning home run apiece.

The Rays managed to move only one runner past first base in the entire game and that came courtesy of an error that produced their only scoring opportunity of the contest.

Gonzalez retired the first eight batters he faced before yielding Jose Molina's two-out single in the top of the third.  He then retired another 11 consecutive hitters.

The Orioles, meanwhile, stranded four baserunners over the first three innings against Tampa Bay starter Jake Odorizzi, before breaking through in the fourth.  Matt Wieters started the inning off with a base hit and then trotted home on Hardy's blast into the seats in left-center field.  David Lough struck out but Steve Lombardozzi followed with a single to center and scored when Flaherty deposited an Odorizzi offering into the bleachers in right.

Baltimore held the 4-0 lead into the top of the seventh when Wil Myers led off by bouncing a single into right field for the Rays' second hit.  Gonzalez induced Matt Joyce to pop up to the left side of the infield but Flaherty misplayed it for an error; Myers alertly scrambled into second, putting runners on first and second with no outs.  Orioles manager Buck Showalter visited the mound, in part to allow the Baltimore bullpen to begin work, but stuck with Gonzalez who rewarded the decision with aplomb.  He struck out Evan Longoria for the first out, then induced James Loney to roll weakly to first, moving the runners to second and third with two outs.  He then fanned Desmond Jennings to end the threat and left the mound to a standing ovation from the Oriole Park faithful.

Any doubt about the outcome was sealed when Matusz and Britton breezed through the final two frames.

It was the third time already this year that the Orioles staff had held an opponent to two hits or less and the third time they've shut an opponent out.

4/16/2014, Tam14-Bal14, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2014 Rays              0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  2  1     3  0
2014 Orioles           0  0  0  4  0  0  0  0  x     4  7  1     6  0
 
Rays                 AB  R  H BI   AVG    Orioles              AB  R  H BI   AVG
Zobrist           2b  4  0  0  0  .117    Markakis          rf  4  0  0  0  .143
Myers             rf  4  0  1  0  .192    Cruz,N            lf  3  0  0  0  .360
Joyce             dh  3  0  0  0  .241    Davis,C           1b  3  0  1  0  .241
 Rodriguez,S      ph  1  0  0  0  .400    Jones,A           dh  4  0  0  0  .264
Longoria          3b  3  0  0  0  .207    Wieters           c   4  1  1  0  .275
Loney             1b  3  0  0  0  .261    Hardy,J           ss  4  1  2  2  .276
Jennings,De       cf  3  0  0  0  .333    Lough             cf  4  0  1  0  .100
DeJesus           lf  2  0  0  0  .152    Lombardozzi       2b  3  1  1  0  .375
 Guyer            ph  1  0  0  0  .267    Flaherty          3b  3  1  1  2  .139
Escobar,Y         ss  3  0  0  0  .286                         32  4  7  4
Molina,J          c   3  0  1  0  .222
                     30  0  2  0
 
Rays                             INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Odorizzi         L 0-2           5.0  6  4  4  2  4  92  62  4.76
McGee                            1.1  0  0  0  0  2  15  11  0.00
Boxberger                        0.2  0  0  0  0  0   4   3  0.00
Peralta,Jo                       1.0  1  0  0  0  3  20  14  3.52
                                 8.0  7  4  4  2  9 131  90
 
Orioles                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Gonzalez,MAn     W 2-1           7.0  2  0  0  0  6 100  65  0.96
Matusz                           1.0  0  0  0  0  1  11   8  2.08
Britton,Z                        1.0  0  0  0  0  1  10   6  0.00
                                 9.0  2  0  0  0  8 121  79
 
Tam: Guyer batted for DeJesus in the 8th
     Guyer moved to lf in the 8th
     Rodriguez,S batted for Joyce in the 9th
 
E-Zobrist, Flaherty. HR-Hardy,J(1), Flaherty(2). RBI-Hardy,J 2(4),
Flaherty 2(5). SB-Lough(1). K-Zobrist, Myers, Joyce, Longoria, Loney,
Jennings,De, Molina,J, Guyer, Markakis, Cruz,N, Jones,A, Wieters 3, Lough 2,
Flaherty. BB-Cruz,N, Davis,C.
GWRBI: Hardy,J
Temperature: 59, Sky: cloudy, Wind: in from right at 3 MPH.
Attendance: 19,965
Game Time: 2:32