Peguero update and a few afternoon notes

Outfielder Francisco Peguero will fly to Baltimore Thursday and undergo an examination on both hamstrings. Peguero's 20-day injury rehab assignment ends on Thursday. He's on the major league disabled list with right wrist tendinitis. Peguero's hamstring injuries enable the Orioles to keep him on the DL. Otherwise, they would have been required to activate him and find a spot on the 25-man roster or expose him to waivers and attempt to outright him to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles signed Peguero, 25, as a free agent on Dec. 7. He appeared in 35 games with the Giants over the past two seasons, batting .200/.217/.289 in 45 at-bats. Peguero is hitting .338/.387/.397 with four doubles and nine RBIs in 16 games with Norfolk, and was named the International League's Player of the Week last week. He sat out both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader. The Astros still aren't listing three of their starters for the four-game series against the Orioles. Brad Peacock will pitch the opener Thursday night at Minute Maid Park. The Orioles will start Ubaldo Jimenez, Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman and Wei-Yin Chen. The Orioles are 8-8 in series finales in 2014, including a 5-3 record on the road. Steve Pearce's three-run shot last night was the Orioles' first pinch-hit homer since Luke Scott went deep against the Twins' Matt Capps on April 18, 2011. It was Pearce's first career pinch-hit home run. Pearce has tied his career high with four home runs. Of the Orioles' 51 homers, 19 have given them the lead. Also from the Orioles, since opening day 2013, Chris Davis (11.85) and Nelson Cruz (13.70) rank first and second in the majors, respectively, in at-bats per home run. Davis leads the majors in that time with 60 home runs in 196 games played, and Cruz ranks sixth with 44 despite playing in only 158 games. Cruz has hit in eight straight games, going 13-for-29 (.448) with three doubles, five homers, nine RBIs and 11 runs scored. Manny Machado saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end last night. J.J. Hardy's eight-game streak also was snapped. Catcher Nick Hundley is 3-for-7 lifetime against Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo. Pearce is 2-for-14 with a home run and Delmon Young is 0-for-10.