Norris has rare lapse with home run ball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Dogs are barking in the upper deck today at Tropicana Field. Pets must be part of the Rays' promotion. They've got a few baseballs to retrieve. The Rays hit two home runs off Orioles starter Bud Norris in the bottom of the first inning, with Evan Longoria and James Loney going back-to-back with two outs. Longoria jumped on a first-pitch 93 mph fastball. Loney lined Norris' eighth pitch, a 94 mph fastball, to right field. There wasn't much doubt on Longoria's home run, but Loney's ball barely cleared the fence. Loney is now 11-for-22 lifetime against Norris. The Rays hit three home runs in their last 15 games before today. Norris, meanwhile, allowed one home run in his last five starts and two in his last nine. He hasn't surrendered more than two in any of his 24 starts this season. The first two batters that Norris faced today, Ben Zobrist and David DeJesus, flied to the warning track. The next two fly balls carried to the seats. Before today, the rotation had registered a 1.32 ERA in the last five games over 34 innings. However, the Orioles are batting .203 and have scored only two runs in the first two games of this series. The Orioles are 28-47 when their opponent scores first. They're 10-12 on Sundays. Nelson Cruz singled with two outs in the first and Chris Davis walked, but Steve Pearce flied to right field. The Rays loaded the bases with one out in the second on two walks and a single, but Zobrist struck out and DeJesus grounded out. Norris has thrown 43 pitches in two innings. Manager Buck Showalter said he considered starting catcher Nick Hundley again today before going with Caleb Joseph. He likes to get a player right back on the field after a costly mistake, showing that he maintains confidence. Don't let a player dwell on it. Hundley, of course, was charged with a passed ball yesterday that let the winning run score. "He's fine. He knows he's one of the reasons we are where we are," Showalter said. "If Delmon (Young's) ball isn't hit right at the third baseman, we're not even talking about it," Showalter said. Hundley has hit safely in his last eight games, one shy of his career-long streak. He's 11-for-29 (.379) with a double, three home runs, seven RBIs and three runs scored.