PORT CHARLOTTE (620 WDAE) -- Jake Faria allowed a run in two innings of work, while Baltimore used a three-run seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie en route to a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday at Charlotte Sports Park.
The Orioles loaded the bases against Jaime Schultz with a double by Cedric Mullins and walks to Engelb Vielma and Austin Wynns. The game then came to a halt as catcher Nick Ciuffo suffered a laceration on the right side of his head after being hit by D.J. Stewart's backswing. Ciuffo remained down on the dirt for over five minutes and needed to be carted off the field.
Schultz then walked Stewart to force in Mullins with the eventual winning run. Vielma would score on a wild pitch and Wynns would come home on a sacrifice fly.
Baltimore initially took the lead in the top of the first with Faria walking Alex Presley and hitting Joey Rickard with a pitch. Both runners moved up on a groundout by Anthony Santander and Presley came home on a sacrifice fly by Pedro Alvarez.
Jesus Sucre tied the game in the second with a solo home run off Baltimore starter Nestor Cortes Jr.
Ryan Mountcastle's RBI double off Evan Scribner in the sixth gave the Orioles another one-run lead, but the Rays tied the game in the bottom of the frame with an RBI triple by Brandon Snyder.
Chih-Wei Hu worked two perfect innings in relief of Faria and Dan Jennings, Jonny Venters and Kyle Bird each word scoreless innings each.
Tampa Bay will welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to Charlotte Sports Park Friday. Blake Snell will make his second spring start, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05.
Listen to manager Kevin Cash, Faria and Sucre speak after Thursday's game.