Orioles Let Late Lead Slip, Fall to Rays 7-6 in Series Finale

The Baltimore Orioles came within three innings of completing an impressive four-game sweep of the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays, but a late bullpen collapse sent Baltimore to a 7-6 loss Monday night at Tropicana Field.

Baltimore carried a 6-4 advantage into the seventh inning before Tampa Bay scored three runs, with pinch-hitter Jonny DeLuca delivering the decisive two-run single. Despite the loss, the Orioles took three of four games from the Rays and finished the series tied for the final American League Wild Card position.

Orioles bring the power

Coby Mayo put Baltimore on the board immediately in the second inning.

Mayo crushed a Shane McClanahan fastball an estimated 468 feet into left-center field for his 16th home run of the season. The blast was the longest home run hit at Tropicana Field this season.

Tampa Bay answered when Yandy Díaz hit an opposite-field solo homer in the third, but the Orioles responded in the fourth.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand drove a single through a drawn-in Tampa Bay infield to put Baltimore ahead 3-1. The Rays again responded, however, with Ryan Vilade hitting a solo homer and former Oriole Jorge Mateo launching a two-run shot that gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead.

The Orioles did not stay behind for long.

Pete Alonso continued his torrid stretch by homering to the opposite field in the fifth inning, tying the game at four. Four batters later, Encarnacion-Strand launched a two-run homer to give Baltimore a 6-4 advantage.

Alonso now has 28 home runs on the season and is hitting .567 with five homers and 10 RBIs over his past eight games.

Encarnacion-Strand leads 14-hit attack

Baltimore certainly produced enough offense to win.

Encarnacion-Strand finished 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, while Mayo and Alonso each collected two hits and homered.

Gunnar Henderson, Tyler O’Neill and Christian Franklin also recorded two hits apiece, with Franklin adding a stolen base. Baltimore finished with 14 hits but ultimately could not convert the offensive production into its fourth consecutive victory.

The performance continued an encouraging offensive stretch for an Orioles club attempting to make an unexpected late-season postseason push.

Brandon Young struggles with long ball

Orioles starter Brandon Young allowed four runs on eight hits over four innings, striking out three and walking one.

The biggest problem was keeping the ball in the ballpark.

Díaz, Vilade and Mateo all homered against Young, with Mateo’s two-run shot temporarily giving Tampa Bay the lead in the fourth.

Cam Sanders helped stabilize things after Young departed, giving Baltimore an opportunity to carry its two-run lead into the late innings.

That advantage disappeared quickly in the seventh.

Seventh inning changes everything

Yennier Cano entered with Baltimore leading 6-4 but could not record an out.

Taylor Walls opened the inning with a single that deflected off Mayo’s glove. Cano then hit Díaz with a pitch before Jonathan Aranda singled into left field, trimming Baltimore’s lead to 6-5.

Junior Caminero followed with an infield single to load the bases.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz then went to left-hander Josh Walker, but Rays manager Kevin Cash countered by sending DeLuca to the plate as a pinch hitter.

DeLuca chopped Walker’s changeup over the infield and into left field, scoring two runs and putting Tampa Bay ahead 7-6.

Cano took the loss, falling to 2-3 after being charged with three runs without recording an out.

It was a painful missed opportunity after Baltimore had repeatedly answered Tampa Bay throughout the first six innings.

Orioles threaten late

Baltimore still had chances.

The Orioles put runners at first and third with one out in the eighth, forcing Tampa Bay to turn to closer Bryan Baker earlier than usual.

Baker struck out Alonso and induced an inning-ending ground ball from Jackson Holliday to preserve the one-run advantage.

Baker returned for the ninth and worked around a two-out single, completing his first career five-out save.

It was Baker’s MLB-leading 35th save and his franchise-record 24th consecutive converted save opportunity.

Series still a major positive for Baltimore

Monday’s loss prevented Baltimore from completing a four-game sweep, but the larger picture remains encouraging.

The Orioles entered Tropicana Field facing the best team in the American League and walked away having won three of four games. Baltimore has now won six of its past seven meetings against Tampa Bay after being swept by the Rays in May.

Baltimore finished its three-city, 10-game road trip with a 5-5 record after previously losing two of three against both Texas and Minnesota.

More importantly, the Orioles remain directly in the postseason race.

Baltimore is now 61-64 and tied with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers for the third American League Wild Card spot. Four additional teams sit within two games of that position, making nearly every game important over the final weeks of the season.

That makes Monday’s loss frustrating. Baltimore had an opportunity to sweep the AL’s top team and improve to within two games of .500 before the bullpen let a late lead disappear.

Still, taking three of four from Tampa Bay is exactly the type of series Baltimore needed.

MSB Take

This one hurts because the Orioles had it.

Baltimore had already won the series, had a two-run lead entering the seventh and was six outs away from completing a four-game sweep of the best team in the American League. Cano simply could not get anybody out when Baltimore needed him to.

But it is difficult to be too disappointed with the overall trip to Tampa Bay.

The Orioles went into Tropicana Field and took three of four from a Rays team that improved to 75-49 with Monday’s victory. Mayo continues to show legitimate power, Alonso is absolutely crushing the baseball right now, and Encarnacion-Strand gave the lineup another huge performance.

Most importantly, somehow this Orioles team is still alive.

Baltimore sold at the trade deadline and has spent much of the season below .500, yet the Orioles wake up Tuesday tied for a playoff spot.

That makes the next six games enormous.

The Orioles return to Camden Yards for a six-game homestand against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, beginning with three against New York. The Yankees are scheduled to send Carlos Rodón to the mound Tuesday and Gerrit Cole on Thursday.

Baltimore missed a chance to finish off a statement sweep Monday.

Now the Orioles have another opportunity to make one at Camden Yards.