Showalter speaks after 6-3 win

Yovani Gallardo surrendered two runs tonight within his first four pitches. Matt Moore didn't allow a baserunner until one out in the fifth inning.

The Rays held the advantage into the middle innings before the Orioles ripped it from their grasp.

Adam Jones homered with one out in the bottom of the sixth to ignite a four-run rally that proved decisive, as the Orioles opened the series with a 6-3 victory over the Rays before a sellout crowd of 44,956 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles loaded the bases after Jones' homer, with Mark Trumbo drawing a nine-pitch walk, and Chris Davis delivered a two-run single into right-center field on Moore's next offering. Trumbo raced home on Logan Forsythe's throwing error on the relay home.

Manny Machado, returning from his suspension, homered off Steve Geltz leading off the bottom of the eighth inning.

Left-hander Ashur Tolliver picked up his first major league win after replacing Gallardo.

Gallardo allowed all three of his runs in the first inning, with Corey Dickerson hitting a two-run homer after Forsythe's leadoff double and Logan Morrison delivering an RBI single after Evan Longoria's double.

Gallardo walked Brad Miller, allowing the first five batters to reach base. But he worked into the sixth inning and didn't permit another run.

Manager Buck Showalter removed Gallardo after Longoria flied out leading off the top of the sixth. Gallardo allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, 61 for strikes.

The difference in Gallardo after the first inning was fairly simple.

"Got the ball down a little bit," Showalter said. "What I saw different was he got the first inning behind him. That may sound ... He hasn't been out there in a while. I think he's still a little frustrated with his command a little bit, got some balls where he didn't want to get them and paid the price early.

"I wanted to get him one more up in the sixth inning. He hadn't been there, so accomplished some things with him tonight. I think, hopefully, he's going to get better as we go."

In two starts since coming off the disabled list, Gallardo has been charged with five runs and 12 hits over 10 1/3 innings. He's walked six batters and struck out eight.

Gallardo got a huge double play from Desmond Jennings after walking Miller in the first. He issued another walk, but the Rays never scored again.

The Orioles are playing four games in a three-day stretch. An early exit from Gallardo would have been ill-timed, to say the least.

"One of the biggest plays of the game was the double play ball that he got to kind of set up getting out of there," Showalter said. "That had the look of an early departure."

Davis broke up Moore's bid for a perfect game with a one-out double in the fifth, and he scored on J.J. Hardy's two-out single.

Jennings made a leaping catch in front of the Orioles' bullpen to rob Machado of a home run in the first, and left fielder Taylor Motter robbed Jones in the fourth.

"I was thinking about how courteous our fans are. I'm not advocating anything," Showalter said, smiling.

"Moore is capable of pitching as he did. Late life on his fastball. J.J. fought a breaking ball off into right field and that kind of got some positive vibes going about the game. Chris went the other way.

"You watch him, he's got that type of stuff that on a given night you're scrambling for hits. That's why they're not going anywhere. They're going to be in it the whole year. Trust me, their pitching's too good."

Motter made another leaping attempt of Jones' long fly ball to left field in the sixth, but he had no shot. Jones got his 14th home run of the season.

Trumbo leads the Orioles with 52 RBIs. Jones and Davis have 44, Machado has 43 and Jonathan Schoop has 42.

Showalter used four relievers to lock down the win, with Zach Britton recording his 22nd save in as many chances after surrendering a leadoff double to Miller. Tolliver retired two batters in the sixth, Odrisamer Despaigne retired the side in order in the seventh and Brad Brach did the same in the eighth to lower his ERA to 1.08 in 41 2/3 innings.

Despaigne has a 1.59 ERA in four appearances. He's gaining Showalter's trust, as evidenced by his appearance tonight.

Much of it is out of need, of course.

"I pitched him in the seventh inning with a lead," Showalter said. "Got to find out. Got some guys trying to cover for Darren (O'Day). Some guys have helped, and some guys haven't as much as they have in the past."

Machado made a triumphant return from his suspension, going 2-for-4 with a home run and almost clearing the fence twice. Perhaps the four-game rest period will prove beneficial in the long run.

"Oh yeah. I don't think it will hurt him at all," Showalter said.

"I know I was talking to him today about what he had been doing. Did he watch every pitch? He said, 'Yeah, I saw every pitch.' I said, 'What did you get out of it?' He said how easy the game looks there compared to how hard it is. How slow it looks on TV and how fast it is when you play it. And the umpires are a little better than sometimes we think they are. Every ball that's hit he thinks is going out of the park.

"It's fun just to sit there and watch. It's like watching a golf tournament at a course that you played at. You've got a better feel for it. Hopefully, he can start another streak. I was going to give him a couple games anyway, but some other people took care of that. (Yordano) Ventura took care of that."

The Orioles improved to 42-30 overall and 28-13 at home. The Rays (31-40) have lost eight games in a row.

Gallardo made his 250th career start, becoming the 22nd active pitcher in the majors to accomplish the feat. He's now logged 1,502 innings.

Davis moved into 17th place on the Orioles' all-time RBI list with 469, passing Miguel Tejada.

Machado is batting .457 (16-for-35) with four doubles, three home runs, five RBIs and 10 runs scored in his last eight games.

Schoop is batting .480/.519/.800 (12-for-25) in his last six games. In last 22 games, he's batting .329/.378/.561 (27-for-82) with seven doubles, four home runs, 14 RBIs, six walks and 17 runs scored.

Brach appeared in his 250th career game.

Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard recorded his sixth assist to lead all Orioles outfielders.