Baltimore Orioles starter Chris Tillman got plenty of offensive support as he held the Tampa Bays Rays to one run in 6 2/3 innings, and the Orioles took the season opener 6-2 in St. Petersburg.
Tillman (W: 1-0, 1.35 ERA) held the Rays to one run on four hits. His only blemish was a solo home run to Evan Longoria (1) with one out in the seventh inning. He walked three and struck out four.
Tillman's run support came in the form of three home runs, one each from Alejandro De Aza (1), Steve Pearce (1), and Ryan Flaherty (1). De Aza's was a two-run shot in the fifth whereas Pearce's was a solo home run in the sixth. Flaherty's was a ninth-inning solo shot.
Baltimore also got two RBI from Travis Snider (2), who had two separate run-scoring hits: a single in the first and a double in the eighth.
Tampa Bay got its second run in the bottom of the eighth on an Asdrubal Cabrera RBI doube to score Kevin Kiermaier.
Chris Archer (L: 0-1, 4.76) started for the Rays and took the loss. He lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits. He walked one and fanned two. He also gave up the home runs to De Aza and Pearce.
The series continues Tuesday evening. Wei-Yin Chen will get the ball for Baltimore, and Nathan Karnes will start for Tampa Bay. The series concludes Wednessday. Both games will start at 7:10 p.m. EDT.