Advertisement

Chris Davis powers Baltimore Orioles past Atlanta Braves

By Jeff Seidel, The Sports Xchange
Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones (10) is congratulated by teammate Chris Davis (19). Photo by David Tulis/UPI
Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones (10) is congratulated by teammate Chris Davis (19). Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo

BALTIMORE -- Chris Davis gained some confidence in his swing, something opponents of the Baltimore Orioles probably are not too happy about right now.

Davis homered twice and drove in five runs -- all in the first two innings -- as the Orioles extended their winning streak to four games with a 7-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in an interleague match-up Tuesday night.

Advertisement

Davis belted a three-run homer in the first that gave the Orioles (50-49) the lead for good and followed that with a two-run shot the following inning, both off Braves starter Julio Teheran.

That was the 10th multi-homer game of Davis' career and the third this season. The right fielder said he's feeling much better about his swing and what he can do at the plate.

Advertisement

"I talked a little bit about it earlier about slowing down and being a little bit more selective, a little bit more patient," Davis said. "I think that's really been big for me the last few weeks, not trying to go out there and do too much, just trying to put a good swing on the ball."

The right fielder finished the night 2-for-4 with the five RBIs. Davis also helped out on defense when he made a leaping catch on catcher A.J. Pierzynski's long drive to right in the eighth.

Davis now has 24 homers and 65 RBIs and is hitting more like he did during his All-Star season of two years ago. He started slowly this season but has turned things around and is beginning to make his mark for the Orioles as they chase a playoff spot.

"Chris obviously had a big night offensively, but it's very hard to expect that type of production every night," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Very quietly he's grinding out another solid year for us."

Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (8-6) rebounded from a rocky start as he gave up two runs on four hits in the first inning -- and also hit one batter.

Advertisement

The right-hander faced eight batters and then walked shortstop Andrelton Simmons to start the second. Jimenez then turned it around and threw six hitless innings, giving up just three walks after the first, making some changes in his mechanics that let the veteran shut down the Braves and bounce back after two poor starts. He retired 18 of the last 20 batters he faced.

"I think the first inning I was leading with my front shoulder a little bit," Jimenez said. "It was way too open, and the next inning I was able to get it better. They told me about it in the dugout...and I was able to go and make an adjustment."

Teheran (6-6) allowed five runs in the first two innings, all coming on the two Davis homers. The right-hander labored through a 92-pitch, four-inning night and fell to 1-5 on the road.

Davis was really the only Baltimore hitter who hurt Teheran, but he did it enough to turn the game around.

"I threw him all my pitches, and he's a really good hitter," Teheran said. "He got me twice."

Center fielder Adam Jones and catcher Caleb Joseph added RBI singles as the Orioles scored a second straight win over the Braves (46-54).

Advertisement

First baseman Freddie Freeman (two-run homer) and second baseman Jace Peterson (RBI single) provided the Atlanta offense.

Both starting pitchers struggled in a 36-minute first inning, but the Orioles came away with a 3-2 lead.

Freeman just returned from the disabled list Saturday and hit a two-run homer off Jimenez to left-center that put the Braves up 2-0 three batters in. Freeman's hit was originally ruled a triple, but a crew-chief review overturned that call.

"That's his slot right there, when he gets the (swing) going, that's his power right there, left-center field," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It was nice to see him also make a couple of nice plays defensively."

Jimenez needed 25 pitches to get through the inning, but the Braves' lead didn't last long. Davis erased the deficit with a three-run shot in the bottom of the first inning. Teheran had to throw 33 pitches to finish the frame.

After Jones lined a two-out single in the second inning, Davis hit his second homer. This one also went to right-center for a 5-2 Baltimore lead.

The Orioles made it 6-2 on Joseph's two-out RBI single in the fifth off left-hander Ross Detwiler.

Advertisement

NOTES: Baltimore C Matt Wieters' walk-off homer in the 11th inning Monday was the fourth of his career. The Elias Sports Bureau reported that Wieters became only the fourth Oriole to hit a walk-off homer in three or more consecutive seasons. ... The Braves put LHP Manny Banuelos, the scheduled starter for Wednesday, on the disabled list retroactive to July 25. They recalled RHP David Carpenter from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his spot. Before the game, they did not announce who would start Wednesday. ... The Braves came into Tuesday's game having struck out a major-league-low 686 times this year. That is a big change from last year, when they had the third-most strikeouts in baseball. The Braves struck out four times Tuesday.

Latest Headlines