NEW YORK - With Steve Pearce unable to play tonight in the Orioles' first interleague game of 2015, Jimmy Paredes is getting the start at second base and making the most of his opportunity.
Paredes, considered below-average in the field, made a leaping catch of a line drive from the Mets' Wilmer Flores with runners on first and second and no outs in the second inning. The next batter, Kevin Plawecki, grounded to third baseman Manny Machado, who started a 5-4-3 double play.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the scoring, Paredes is the 4 on that play at second base. He took Machado's throw and turned the double play.
After a two-out walk to Curtis Granderson in the third, Paredes charged Juan Lagares' slow roller and fired to Chris Davis for the final out to keep the game scoreless.
And you were worried.
Paredes reached on an infield hit in his first at-bat and struck out looking.
The Mets scored three times against Bud Norris in the bottom of the fourth inning on Lucas Duda's leadoff double, Daniel Murphy's RBI single and Plawecki's two-run double. All of the balls were hit hard.
Norris has thrown 60 pitches in four innings. He's trying to extend the rotation's streak of quality starts to seven.
The Orioles had back-to-back singles by Adam Jones and Chris Davis to open the top of the fourth. They moved up on Delmon Young's tapper to Mets starter Bartolo Colon, who struck out Caleb Joseph and retired Travis Snider on a grounder to first.
Jones raised his average to .404.
Norris lined to right field in his only at-bat tonight leading off the third inning.
Caleb Joseph threw out Granderson trying to steal, making him 4-for-12 this season. He began the season 0-for-8.
Down on the farm, Ryan Flaherty singled in his first at-bat tonight at Double-A Bowie. J.J. Hardy is 0-for-1.
Bobby Bundy replaced Dylan Bundy in the second inning following a rain delay.
Triple-A Norfolk starter Tyler Wilson retired the first 13 batters he faced tonight before giving up a bloop single.
Update: Norris retired the last 11 batters he faced. He allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings, with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches, 69 for strikes.
The rotation has cranked out seven quality starts in a row. Starters have gone at least six innings in eight consecutive games.
Manny Machado ended Bartolo Colon's shutout bid with a home run in the eighth inning, his fifth of the season. Colon is done after 7 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and still has walked only one batter in 2015.
Update II: Chris Davis homered on the first pitch from Mets closer Jeurys Familia, his sixth of the season, but the Orioles lost to the Mets 3-2.
Davis' ball traveled to left field.
Brian Matusz retired the Mets in order in the eighth in his first appearance since April 25. The Mets didn't have a baserunner after Plawecki's two-run double in the fourth.
The Orioles are 12-12. The Mets improved to 17-10 after Plawecki registered his 11th save.
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