As 'home' series ends, O's think of Baltimore

ST. PETERSBURG -- Despite a whirlwind week that included riots in Baltimore, a lockdown, a pair of postponements, and a game with no fans, the Orioles made themselves right at home with the last-minute series move to Tropicana Field. After dropping Friday's opener, the O's won Saturday and secured the "home series" win with Sunday's 4-2 victory over the Rays.

"People have been through worse, man. People have been through worse," center fielder Adam Jones said of the O's rough week. "We're athletes. People have been through worse. There's more people in Baltimore that are facing tougher hardships than we're facing. We get to play baseball for a living. The hardships that we have to face? Nah. You've got to look at the people that actually have to face some hardships and those are the people back in Baltimore right now."

Added manager Buck Showalter: "I know it's a challenge because it's a break from a routine. But not once have I heard anyone talk about it as an excuse or 'woe is me'. There's plenty more people who could use that back in Baltimore more than us."

The Orioles, who don't have a home game until May 11, have won five of their last six games and hope to be a bright spot for the city during a rough time.

"Sports is known to always bring people together. That's just what sports are. I remember as a teenager with 9/11 how baseball brought back the fans and made everybody feel comfortable for those three hours," Jones said. "You get away from your own reality. Hopefully, we can do that for Baltimore. Same thing. But we're just going to go out there and play the game hard and play for our city. That's our message."