![]() Lefty Matt Moore struck out three of the six Orioles he faced on Tuesday. (David Goldman/AP)
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The 22-year-old had been sidelined by an abdominal strain suffered early in camp but showed no ill effects in his first Grapefruit League game of 2012. Moore fanned three and walked one of the six batters he faced. He is expected to make four more appearances before the start of the regular season.
Moore entered the game with the Rays trailing, 4-1, after Rays starter David Price was roughed up for four runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings. Tampa battled back with five runs in the ninth to take a 7-5 lead, but the Orioles responded with a pair in the bottom half of the frame.
The Rays' comeback was sparked by a pair of offensive prospects: outfielder Brandon Guyer went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base and pinch hitter Hak-Ju Lee was 2-for-2 with a two-run triple. Shortstop prospect Tim Beckham, the top pick in the 2008 Draft, went hitless in two at-bats and is just 1-for-19 (.053) in 10 Grapefruit League games.
Veteran Minor Leaguer Jai Miller swung the biggest bat for the Orioles, going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, two doubles and three runs scored. The 27-year-old's blast, which came off Price in the second inning, was his first of the spring campaign. Miller clubbed 32 home runs for Triple-A Sacramento last season before being traded to Baltimore on January 3.
Miller has played in 28 Major League games for three different organizations, but is batting .333 in seven spring games while making a case to head north with the Orioles.
It was the third meeting -- and second tie -- between the two clubs this spring. Baltimore earned the series' only win, 3-1, on March 5.
The Rays return home to Port Charlotte on Wednesday with Jeremy Hellickson getting the start against the Marlins. Jake Arrieta takes the hill for the Orioles as they host the Pirates.
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