Game update and more on Davis (Markakis extends streak, O's lead 3-1)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - I'm predicting that Orioles manager Buck Showalter will refer to Steve Pearce later tonight as "a professional hitter." If the spike fits... Pearce hit a two-out, two-run homer off Rays starter David Price in the top of the second inning to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead. He's 8-for-27 (.296) with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs since re-signing with the Orioles on April 29 and becoming their regular first baseman. J.J. Hardy doubled to right-center field with two outs, making him 12-for-35 lifetime against Price, before Pearce stepped to the plate and turned on a 94 mph fastball - the sixth pitch of the at-bat. Ubaldo Jimenez issued only one walk over 7 1/3 scoreless innings in his last start in Minnesota. He walked Rays leadoff hitter Ben Zobrist tonight and fell behind 1-0 on Evan Longoria's looping two-out single to right field. Desmond Jennings scored the run after grounding into a force, stealing second base and moving to third on Matt Joyce's fly ball to right field. Longoria and James Loney had back-to-back singles, and Jimenez needed 25 pitches to escape further harm. Nelson Cruz singled with two outs in the top of the first and was thrown out trying to steal. He's 10-for-26 with three home runs lifetime against Price. Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey earned his second career ejection for arguing a checked swing call on Adam Jones. Chris Davis walked into the visiting clubhouse this afternoon with a bat in his hand and a smile on his face. A familiar combination. Sleeves not included. Davis hit in the indoor cage today and will take batting practice outside Friday afternoon at Camden Yards. Watching him run sprints and reach for throws, it's easy to forget that he's got a strained oblique muscle. "Hit live in the cage today, about 20 swings. Felt fine. Actually felt better than I did before the injury, which is good. Amazing what a little rest will do," he said. "Bring it on the field tomorrow and then hopefully be in the starting lineup Sunday morning. I'm just kidding. That's the first day I can come back. I don't know what we're going to do the next few days. I just know tomorrow I'm going to hit on the field and I guess we'll kind of go from there. "Everything always depends on how I feel the next day. Thankfully, this far I've felt really good the next day, the day after we've been doing a lot lately. So, obviously it's going to continue to be tested. "I think the real test is going to be starting to play games. Standing on my feet for three hours and having to start and stop and go and not being able to warm up in between at-bats or swings. Being outside and not being in such a controlled environment. But that's a couple days away, it seems." Manager Buck Showalter estimated that Davis would need two or three days' worth of at-bats on a rehab assignment before coming off the disabled list. "He thinks I need them, but I think it's more to see how my body responds to that atmosphere," Davis said. "I've been fortunate enough to be able to jump back into things as far as fielding is concerned pretty quickly, so I think it's a good idea. Very rarely do you see a guy come off the DL and go straight into the lineup. You kind of want to see how it responds in a game atmosphere. "I've been running for a few days now. Yesterday, I took ground balls for the first time. I threw to second base and felt fine. Took (throws) straight at me, took them to my glove side, which is obviously going to be the big test, stretching out, and I felt. I've been fortunate enough so far to feel really good. "Hopefully, I'll be on my way to being 100 percent after the 15-day deadline, but I know at this point I'm just being optimistic." Update: Nick Markakis singled into right field in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the second-longest active streak in baseball behind Nolan Arenado (27). Markakis has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games. The Orioles continue to lead 2-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Both teams have put at least one runner on base in each inning. Update II: Jimenez has thrown 69 pitches in three innings, but he leads 3-1. Jonathan Schoop bounced an RBI single into center field with two outs in the top of the fourth. Jones and Pearce reached on infield hits earlier in the inning. Schoop has 13 RBIs this season and three in the past two nights.