Rickard homers, Tillman deals and Orioles avoid sweep

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If the Rays were going to keep making all the plays in the field tonight, the logical countermove from the Orioles was to hit a ball into the seats.

Baseball really is a simple game. Why try to complicate it?

Joey Rickard, in the midst of his first major league slump, drove a Matt Moore pitch over the left field fence in the fifth inning for a three-run homer that broke a scoreless tie.

Chris Tillman kept hanging zeros and the Orioles avoided a sweep with a 3-1 victory at Tropicana Field.

Tillman gave the Orioles (12-8) their fifth quality start of the season and the second in two nights while lowering his ERA to 3.24 in 25 innings. He shut out the Rays on two hits over 6 2/3 innings, with two walks and nine strikeouts that tied his career high. He threw 101 pitches, 59 for strikes.

Manager Buck Showalter brought in Darren O'Day after Tillman walked Logan Morrison with two outs in the seventh. Tillman had retired 11 of the last 12 batters, mixing his slider with a fastball that touched 95-96 mph on the ballpark's radar gun.

Brad Brach worked a scoreless eighth inning to lower his ERA to 0.68 in 13 1/3 innings, and Zach Britton notched his fifth save after a two-out RBI single by former Oriole Steve Pearce.

Rickard was in a 2-for-22 slump, with a popup and strikeout against Moore. He jumped on the first pitch, collected his second home run and enabled the Orioles to release some of their offensive frustration.

Not all of it. They were limited to three hits tonight and their last 13 batters were retired after Rickard homered.

The Orioles scored one run in their last 30 innings and hadn't homered in their previous three games before Rickard muscled up.

The Orioles are 8-0 when Rickard scores a run.

Moore retired the first two batters in the fifth, but he walked Nolan Reimold and Jonathan Schoop singled into right field. Schoop struck out in his first at-bat and was in a 2-for-31 slump.

Tillman was perfect the first time through the Rays order, striking out three batters, including Desmond Jennings on a 95 mph fastball.

Reimold made a sliding catch in left field to rob Steven Souza Jr. in the bottom of the third. Souza topped him in the top of the fourth with a spectacular diving grab on the warming track in right-center to deny Chris Davis, easily the No. 1 web gem of the night.

Rays manager Kevin Cash wouldn't even challenge it.

Logan Forsythe led off the bottom of the fourth by reaching out of the strike zone to poke a single into right. Brad Miller walked and both runners advanced on Evan Longoria's long fly ball to center.

Tillman struck out Corey Dickerson on a 96 mph fastball and retired Jennings on a popup to catcher Matt Wieters inches from the screen.

Longoria was 0-for-3 against Tillman, a pitcher he's tormented in the past. He popped up to Davis in the first inning, with Tillman throwing cutters on three of four pitches. He offered at the first pitch in the fourth inning, a 94 mph fastball, and flied to center field. He struck out again to end the sixth on an 85 mph slider.

Tillman opened the bottom of the seventh by striking out Dickerson on another slider. He was dealing and the bullpen was still. But Showalter wanted O'Day to face Souza, who shattered his bat on a popup to Schoop.

Tillman tied Ben McDonald for 17th place on the club's all-time wins list with 58. He's posted eight quality starts in 10 outings at Tropicana Field.

Showalter tied Chuck Tanner for 30th place on the all-time win list with 1,352.