masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgCHICAGO – Bud Norris is doing more than pitching today for the Orioles.

He’s also padding their lead.

Norris reached on an infield hit in the second inning to score J.J. Hardy and give the Orioles a 2-0 advantage over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Orioles pitchers were 0-for-11 this season. Norris recorded his first RBI since May 5, 2012.

Norris is no slouch at the plate. He’s 4-for-10 since the start of the 2013 season.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks has thrown 46 pitches in two innings….CHICAGO – Bud Norris is doing more than pitching today for the Orioles.

He’s also padding their lead.

Norris reached on an infield hit in the second inning to score J.J. Hardy and give the Orioles a 2-0 advantage over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

norris-with-glove-pitching-white-sidebar.jpgOrioles pitchers were 0-for-11 this season. Norris recorded his first RBI since May 5, 2012.

Norris is no slouch at the plate. He’s 4-for-10 since the start of the 2013 season.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks has thrown 46 pitches in two innings.

Steve Pearce and Adam Jones had back-to-back doubles in the first to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead, and Jonathan Schoop doubled in the second after Hardy led off with a single.

Hardy raced home when Norris’ sharp ground ball to the left side deflected off Cubs third baseman Luis Valbuena – the Orioles’ fifth hit off Hendricks.

Norris saw seven pitches from Hendricks, fouling off two with the count 2-2 before reaching on an 88 mph sinker.

With his next home run, Jones will become the first Orioles outfielder with four consecutive seasons of 25-plus homers. Frank Robinson holds the club record for outfielders with five seasons, but they didn’t come in a row.

Robinson reached 25-plus homers in 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971.

Update: Norris gave up four runs in the second, the last three on Chris Coghlan’s bases-loaded triple with two outs.

The Orioles trail 4-2 and play was stopped at 2:22 due to a major rain storm. The grounds crew got the tarp on the field, so that’s a victory.

Norris walked a batter and gave up an infield hit and RBI bloop single by Logan Watkins in the second.