masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Nick Markakis has singled twice tonight, matching his hit total coming into the game.
Markakis singled off Wei-Yin Chen in the fourth and reliever Wesley Wright in the sixth.
Chen allowed two runs and six hits in five innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. I’ve got him at 68 pitches, 49 for strikes.
Chen’s most difficult inning was his last, when he threw 11 of 19 pitches for strikes and allowed both runs on Andrelton Simmons’ RBI single and a wild pitch.
The…

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Nick Markakis has singled twice tonight, matching his hit total coming into the game.

Markakis singled off Wei-Yin Chen in the fourth and reliever Wesley Wright in the sixth.

Chen allowed two runs and six hits in five innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. I’ve got him at 68 pitches, 49 for strikes.

chen pitching white sidebar.jpgChen’s most difficult inning was his last, when he threw 11 of 19 pitches for strikes and allowed both runs on Andrelton Simmons’ RBI single and a wild pitch.

The Braves opened the inning with three consecutive singles. Simmons was out 7-2-4 going to second base on his hit, and Chen struck out the next two batters looking.

Chen had retired eight in a row before consecutive singles by Joe Benson and Markakis in the fourth. He threw only eight pitches in the second, 10 in the third and 12 in the fourth.

Manager Buck Showalter predicted before the game that Markakis would get a couple of hits.

Chen made his final start of spring training, with his next assignment coming April 7 against the Rays at Tropicana Field. He allowed six runs (five earned) and 19 hits in 18 1/3 Grapefruit League innings, with one walk and 10 strikeouts.

Wright gave up a hit, walked a batter and struck out two in the sixth.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the fifth on Nolan Reimold’s second hit of the night, an RBI single into center field. Reimold is 16-for-47 (.340) with two home runs, nine RBIs and eight walks this spring, and he had another homer washed away by rain.

Caleb Joseph singled in the fifth and is 10-for-28 (.357) this spring.

The Orioles tied the game 2-2 in the sixth on singles by Steve Pearce and Chris Davis and Manny Machado’s sacrifice fly. Machado also has singled twice tonight.

Update: Travis Snider pinch-hit for Reimold in the seventh and hit a two-run homer to break a 2-2 tie. Snider has two homers this spring.

Umpires originally ruled the ball a double before allowing Snider to round the bases.

Everth Cabrera walked, stole second, took third on a throwing error and scored on Pearce’s second hit of the game.