Jake Arrieta took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Nick Markakis knocked in six runs as the Orioles cruised to a 7-0 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
Arrieta allowed a lead-off double in the sixth to snap the no-hitter, but allowed just two hits through seven strong innings, walking three while fanning four. Arrieta (8-3) is now tied with Boston's Jon Lester for the most wins in the AL. Koji Uehara allowed a hit in the eighth and Michael Gonzalez escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to give the Birds their fourth straight win and second shutout against the Rays this season. The three hits allowed by the staff were the least allowed in a game this year...
J.J. Hardy led-off a game for just the second time in his career, and for the second time smacked a solo homer to give the O's an early 1-0 cushion. Hardy homered in his first at-bat on Tuesday as well. Hardy went 2-for-2 with two walks and was hit by a pitch, and looks to be the offensive spark the O's have been missing since Brian Roberts was placed on the DL.
Nick Markakis broke out of a season-long slump with a career high in RBIs. Markakis stepped to the plate in the second inning with two outs and the bases jammed, and slapped the first pitch he saw over the right field fence for the third grand slam of his career and first since 2009. Markakis had gone 88 at-bats without an extra base hit before going 2-for-5 with a grand slam and two-run double on Friday night.
The Birds (30-31) are just a game under .500 and send Jeremy Guthrie to the mound Saturday night...
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