Davis' bat heats up again

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- It isn't exactly breaking news that Chris Davis is a streaky hitter. We've been down that road before. Just when it appears that Davis won't get another hit, he gets them in bunches. Davis went 2-for-5 last night to extend his career-long hitting streak to nine games. He's batting .342 (13-for-38) with 12 RBIs during that span. The Orioles were 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position last night, obliterating their 0-for-22 streak, and Davis contributed with a two-run single in the fourth inning. All four of the Orioles' runs last night scored with two outs. "(Adam) Jones and I were talking about that today in BP, how we've had opportunities to score runs in certain opportunities, but haven't been able to get a run across. And in a game like tonight, when you know you're going up (against) another good pitcher, it was good for us to get those hits," Davis said. "If you don't get those hits, you don't get those runs. A staff like this, you've got to get runs whenever you can. Two-out hits are crushing to the other team, especially when you can drive some runs in, so it does make a difference." The Orioles have won four of their last six games. They're tied again with the Rays for second place in the American League East, 6 1/2 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. They're not going away. "We're just having a good time," Davis said. "I feel like we're having a lot more fun these last couple weeks than we did going into the All-Star break. We're a lot more relaxed. We really enjoy what we're doing at the ballpark now and enjoy all the rewards received for our hard work." Does Davis stay in the lineup today against David Price? He's 1-for-5 with two strikeouts against the southpaw. Very small sample size. Matt Wieters could be the designated hitter today, giving manager Buck Showalter another right-handed bat against Price. And Wieters continues to rake at Tropicana Field, bringing a .388 career average. He's batting .335 against the Rays. Robert Andino will get another start, but we don't know whether it's coming at second or third. If Showalter is committed to a platoon at third, that's where we'll find Andino. Lew Ford will probably start in left. In case you missed J.J. Hardy flashing the leather last night, check out this play in the ninth inning. It wasn't the only gem from Hardy last night. The guy is simply amazing.