Pearce homers, Jones steals home and Orioles tie game (O's win 5-4)

The Orioles pulled off their first steal of home in five years tonight to score the tying run in the bottom of the first inning. So, it's going to be one of those nights? Down 2-0 after the top half, the Orioles battled back on Steve Pearce's 16th home run of the season, singles by Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz, and the double steal. Cruz broke for second, slammed on the brakes and started to retreat. Jones broke for home and slid in safely as Yunel Escobar's high throw eluded catcher Jose Molina. Jones has the Orioles' first steal of home since Robert Andino on June 14, 2009 against the Braves. Raise your hand if you predicted that Pearce would hit 16 home runs. Now, consider there's still a month left in the regular season. Pearce extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He's batting .357 with 10 extra-base hits during that stretch - five doubles and five home runs. Bud Norris threw 34 pitches in the top of the first while falling behind 2-0. Desmond Jennings led off with a double and scored on Matt Joyce's sacrifice fly, and Evan Longoria followed with a home run. Norris threw three straight 93 mph fastballs to Longoria. The first two missed the strike zone. Longoria didn't miss the third one. Norris threw 58 pitches in two innings Saturday at Wrigley Field before the rain delay. He's at 34 tonight after allowing a single to James Loney, walking Wil Myers and hitting Escobar on the left hand following the home run. Molina swung at the first pitch and bounced into a force. Norris has hit 13 batters, tying him with the Royals' Jeremy Guthrie for first in the American League. The Orioles are 27-45 when their opponent scores first. Earlier today, Orioles manager Buck Showalter talked about the decision to recall infielder Jimmy Paredes from Triple-A Norfolk. "Probably coming up Sept. 1 anyway and a way to get him here and create more depth," Showalter said. "You never know what a game's going to bring. Just want to be prepared. "We had two guys who weren't going to pitch before their next start and there's a way to get them in and out." Paredes is a switch-hitter who can play just about every position. He also can pinch-run, considering he was 21-for-22 in stolen base attempts at the Triple-A level this season. Showalter doesn't anticipate another roster move before Sept. 1 "unless we need a pitcher." "That's the only thing I could see happening between now and then," he said. The Orioles took their team photo today before batting practice. Paredes made it here, but some notable names were missing. For example: Wei-Yin Chen, Kevin Gausman, Manny Machado and Matt Wieters. Also, we shouldn't forget Ryan Webb. "Photo-shopped the team picture," Showalter said. "We'll get Wei-Yin and Gaus in there. Matt had a doctors appointment today. Manny, we'll get him in there. "It's funny. Dave Wallace and I both kind of looked at each other and I go, 'Well, we made another picture.' And Dave said, 'It hasn't been snapped yet.'" Update: The Rays scored twice in the fifth to take a 4-2 lead. Norris had retired eight in a row before singles by Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce. Evan Longoria followed with a sacrifice fly to break the tie, and James Loney delivered a two-out RBI double. Norris has thrown 89 pitches in five innings. Brad Brach was warming in the bullpen. Update II: Escobar has been a nice weapon for the Orioles. His defense is putrid. The Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the fifth after loading the bases with no outs and chasing Hellickson. Cruz lined out and Chris Davis grounded to first, which could have resulted in a double play. However, Escobar air-mailed another throw on the relay, allowing the second run to score. Orioles 4, Rays 4. Update III: J.J. Hardy's looping single into right field off Kirby Yates with two outs in the seventh gave the Orioles a 5-4 lead. Cruz, who doubled with two outs, scored the go-ahead run. Yates walked Chris Davis intentionally and Hardy made him pay. Update IV: Game over. The Orioles defeated the Rays 5-4 to win the series and move seven games ahead of the Yankees in the American League East. Andrew Miller got his first win as an Oriole with 1 2/3 perfect innings. Zach Britton recorded his 29th save. The Orioles are 76-56 overall and 33-20 vs. division opponents. They're 11-5 against the Rays. The Orioles are 18-6 at home since June 30.