O’Neill Delivers in Extras as Orioles Edge Rays 4-3
The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3, in 10 innings Saturday night at Tropicana Field, earning their second consecutive one-run victory over the American League East leaders.
Tyler O’Neill delivered the decisive hit with an RBI single in the top of the 10th, while Cam Sanders survived a tense bottom half to close out another important Baltimore victory. The Orioles improved to 60-63 and have won the first two games of the four-game series against Tampa Bay.
For an Orioles team trying to claw its way back into the American League Wild Card race, this was exactly the type of game it needed to win.
Orioles Strike First
Baltimore grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Gunnar Henderson singled with one out before Christian Franklin drew a walk. Leody Taveras followed with a single through the left side that brought Henderson home.
The Rays answered in a strange bottom of the third.
Richie Palacios doubled and Taylor Walls followed with a single. Walls attempted to advance to second on an Orioles throw home and was initially ruled safe, but Baltimore successfully challenged the play.
Moments later, catcher Carlos Narváez attempted to pick Palacios off third base and threw the ball into left field. Palacios scored on the error to tie the game at 1-1.
Alonso Goes Deep Again
The Orioles reclaimed the lead in the fifth thanks to Pete Alonso.
Alonso drove an Ian Seymour pitch over the right-center-field wall for his 27th home run of the season, giving Baltimore a 2-1 advantage. He finished the night 3-for-5 and continued to provide the middle-of-the-order power Baltimore was hoping for.
Baltimore went deep again an inning later.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand crushed a Seymour changeup an estimated 418 feet into the left-center-field seats for his fifth homer of the season. The solo shot extended Baltimore’s lead to 3-1.
Seymour still recorded nine strikeouts over six innings for Tampa Bay, but Baltimore tagged him for three runs on six hits.
Bradish Battles Through Six
Orioles starter Kyle Bradish did not have his best command, but he battled through six innings and kept Baltimore in front.
Bradish allowed two runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out three.
Tampa Bay cut Baltimore’s lead to 3-2 in the sixth.
Liam Hicks walked and eventually advanced to third before former Oriole Cedric Mullins drove him home with a two-out triple into the right-center-field gap. Bradish issued another walk afterward but escaped the inning without allowing the tying run.
Considering the traffic Bradish dealt with throughout his outing, holding the Rays to two runs was a significant accomplishment.
Rays Force Extra Innings
Baltimore’s offense went quiet after Encarnacion-Strand’s sixth-inning homer, giving Tampa Bay an opportunity to stay within striking distance.
The Orioles carried their 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth and turned to former Rays reliever Andrew Kittredge.
Kittredge retired the first two hitters before Yandy Díaz singled. Jonathan Aranda followed with another single, putting runners at the corners.
That brought Junior Caminero to the plate.
Caminero hit a slow roller toward third base. Encarnacion-Strand charged the ball but could not make the play cleanly, allowing the tying run to score on what was ruled an RBI infield single.
Kittredge escaped without allowing Tampa Bay to win the game, sending the Orioles to extra innings tied at 3-3.
O’Neill Comes Through in the 10th
With automatic runner Colton Cowser beginning the 10th at second base, the Orioles immediately attacked former Baltimore reliever and current Rays closer Bryan Baker.
O’Neill lined a 96 mph fastball back through the middle for an RBI single, scoring Cowser and putting Baltimore ahead, 4-3.
It was O’Neill’s first hit of the game, but it came at the perfect time.
Alonso followed with his third hit of the night. He appeared to experience discomfort after reaching base, but Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said afterward that Alonso was dealing with calf cramping and that the issue was not considered serious.
Baker avoided any additional damage, giving Tampa Bay one final opportunity.
Sanders Slams the Door
Baltimore turned to Cam Sanders in the bottom of the 10th.
As usual with extra innings, it was not simple.
Tampa Bay eventually brought the potential winning run to the plate, but Sanders struck out Mullins and then won an eight-pitch battle with Palacios, striking him out to end the game.
Sanders earned his third save in six appearances with Baltimore and his second save in as many nights.
That is quite a contribution from a reliever the Orioles claimed off waivers in July.
Orioles Continue to Hang Around
The Orioles are still sitting at 60-63, but the American League Wild Card race has allowed them to remain relevant despite being three games under .500.
Saturday’s victory was particularly significant because it came against a Tampa Bay club that entered the night with the American League’s best record. The Rays fell to 74-48.
Even more encouraging is how Baltimore has responded through the first two games of this series.
The Orioles opened the set with a dramatic 6-5 victory Friday, snapping Tampa Bay’s nine-game winning streak. One night later, Baltimore found another way to win a one-run game, this time in extra innings.
MSB Take
These are the games the Orioles have to win if they are serious about making a late postseason push.
Baltimore did not play a perfect game. The defense contributed to Tampa Bay’s first run, the bullpen surrendered the lead in the ninth, and the offense went quiet for several innings.
But the Orioles kept fighting.
Bradish battled despite not having his sharpest command. Alonso and Encarnacion-Strand supplied the power. O’Neill delivered when Baltimore absolutely needed a hit, and Sanders once again came through with the game on the line.
Two straight one-run wins on the road against the best team in the American League is no small accomplishment.
The Orioles dug themselves a significant hole earlier this season, so there is little margin for error down the stretch. But suddenly, Baltimore is hanging around the Wild Card picture.
And if the Orioles can continue winning games like this, the final weeks of the season could become much more interesting than anyone expected.
