Orioles Take Two of Three From Rays Behind Timely Hitting and Strong Pitching

The Baltimore Orioles took two of three games from the Tampa Bay Rays, winning the opening two games before Tampa Bay salvaged the series finale. Baltimore opened the series with a 5-3 victory, followed that with a dramatic 3-2 win in 10 innings, and then dropped the final game 3-1.

Over the three games, the Orioles showed several different ways they can win. The first game was powered by the long ball and a strong start from Trevor Rogers. The second game required patience, bullpen execution and two enormous late-inning hits from Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers. The finale was a reminder of how difficult baseball can become when the opposing starter completely controls the game.

Despite losing Sunday, Baltimore finished the series 2-1 and got contributions from several important players.

Game 1: Alonso's 30th Homer Powers Orioles

Baltimore opened the series with a 5-3 victory behind seven strong innings from Trevor Rogers.

Rogers allowed six hits and three earned runs while striking out six and walking one. He threw 103 pitches, including 75 strikes, and consistently gave Baltimore an opportunity to stay in the game.

The Orioles initially found themselves playing from behind.

Baltimore scored first in the opening inning when Pete Alonso singled to center, bringing Jackson Holliday home. Tampa Bay responded in the second inning when Chandler Simpson singled home Junior Caminero.

The Rays then took a 3-1 lead when Kenny Piper hit a two-run home run to center field. The homer traveled 410 feet and gave Tampa Bay some early momentum.

Baltimore answered immediately.

Dylan Beavers opened the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run to center field. The 396-foot blast was Beavers' sixth homer of the season and cut the Tampa Bay advantage to 3-2.

The Orioles would eventually take control in the fifth.

Holliday delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Coby Mayo and tying the game at three.

Then Alonso provided the biggest swing of the night.

With Cowser on base, Alonso launched a two-run home run to left-center field. The ball traveled an estimated 443 feet and gave Baltimore a 5-3 lead.

The home run was Alonso's 30th of the season and gave him three RBIs for the game. He finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Beavers also finished with two of Baltimore's biggest offensive contributions, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.

Jackson Holliday added a double and an RBI, while Cowser reached base twice and scored on Alonso's home run.

Baltimore finished with eight hits and five runs.

The Orioles did not need a huge offensive night. They simply got their hits at the right moments.

Rogers took care of the rest.

After completing seven innings, Andrew Kittredge worked a scoreless eighth inning and struck out two. Rico Garcia followed in the ninth and earned the save with a perfect inning and two strikeouts.

The Orioles struck out 10 Tampa Bay hitters while allowing only one walk.

That combination of starting pitching, bullpen work and power hitting produced a 5-3 victory.

Game 2: Basallo and Beavers Deliver in Extra Innings

Saturday's game was a completely different type of baseball game.

The Orioles and Rays battled through nine innings with the score tied at 2 before Baltimore won in the 10th.

Brandon Young started for Baltimore and provided 5⅔ innings. He surrendered six hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking three.

The Rays scored first when Liam Hicks hit a solo home run in the second inning.

Baltimore struggled to get anything going against Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan, who held the Orioles scoreless through five innings.

Tampa Bay added another run in the sixth.

Yandy Díaz reached base, and Junior Caminero eventually drove him home with a single. Suddenly, Baltimore was trailing 2-0 with the offense still looking for its first major breakthrough.

The Orioles bullpen kept the game within reach.

Josh Walker pitched a scoreless inning. Andrew Kittredge followed with another scoreless inning, and Rico Garcia eventually worked the 10th inning without allowing a hit or a run.

That gave Baltimore's offense an opportunity.

The breakthrough came in the eighth inning.

Jackson Holliday reached base, and Samuel Basallo came off the bench as a pinch hitter.

Basallo delivered a massive two-run home run to center field, traveling 411 feet.

The game was tied.

The Orioles had gone from trailing 2-0 to having a chance to win.

The Rays and Orioles remained tied through the ninth, sending the game into extra innings.

Baltimore began the bottom of the 10th with Leody Taveras serving as the automatic runner at second.

Dylan Beavers came off the bench and immediately delivered.

Beavers doubled to center field, bringing Taveras home and giving Baltimore a 3-2 walk-off victory.

It was a fitting finish after Beavers had already contributed a home run in the opening game of the series.

The Orioles finished with eight hits, while Tampa Bay also had eight.

But the difference was Baltimore's ability to make its biggest hits count.

Basallo's home run tied the game.

Beavers' double won it.

Rico Garcia earned the victory after pitching a scoreless 10th.

The Orioles also played strong defense, turning two double plays.

Baltimore did not have an overwhelming offensive performance, but it didn't need one.

The pitching staff kept Tampa Bay at two runs, and the offense eventually found just enough production to finish the comeback.

Game 3: Rays Salvage the Series

The Rays prevented Baltimore from completing the sweep with a 3-1 victory in the series finale.

The biggest difference in the game was Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez.

Martinez was dominant.

He pitched six innings and allowed just one hit. He did not allow a run, walked nobody and struck out four.

That put tremendous pressure on the Orioles' offense.

Colton Cowser produced Baltimore's only hit against Martinez, recording a double.

Shane Baz started for Baltimore and pitched 5⅔ innings. He allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out three and walking three.

For most of the afternoon, Baz kept the Orioles in position to win.

But Tampa Bay broke through in the sixth inning.

The first Rays run came after a wild pitch from Baz allowed Díaz to score while Aranda advanced to second.

Caminero then singled to center, bringing Aranda home.

Simpson followed with another RBI single, scoring Caminero.

Three runs came across during the inning, and Tampa Bay suddenly had a 3-0 advantage.

Baltimore's offense could not recover.

The Orioles managed only two hits throughout the game.

Cowser provided both.

After his earlier double, he hit a solo home run in the ninth inning to cut the deficit to 3-1.

But the Orioles could not produce another rally.

The Rays' bullpen closed out the game, with Bryan Baker recording the save despite allowing Cowser's ninth-inning home run.

For Baltimore, the finale was frustrating because the pitching was good enough to keep the team competitive. The problem was simply an inability to generate offense against Martinez and the Rays' bullpen.

Pete Alonso Continues to Produce

One of the biggest positives from the series was Alonso's continued offensive production.

In Game 1, he went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and his 30th home run of the season.

His two-run homer in the fifth inning completely changed the game.

Baltimore had been tied 3-3, and Alonso's swing gave the Orioles the lead they would not surrender.

He also produced Baltimore's first run of the series with an RBI single in the first inning.

Alonso finished the opening game with four total bases.

He did not record a hit in Game 3, but his Game 2 performance included two hits.

That gave him four hits during the first two games of the series and continued to make him one of Baltimore's most important offensive pieces.

Dylan Beavers Makes His Presence Felt

Beavers was another major story.

He contributed in all the biggest moments.

Game 1: home run.

Game 2: game-winning double.

Those two performances demonstrated the type of offensive impact Baltimore can receive from its young players.

His home run in the opener prevented Tampa Bay from building an even larger advantage.

His double in Game 2 ended the game.

Beavers finished the series with three hits and two RBIs according to the supplied box scores, including two extra-base hits.

That kind of production can become extremely valuable as Baltimore continues through the final portion of the season.

Samuel Basallo Provides the Game-Tying Swing

Basallo's performance in Game 2 deserves special attention.

The Orioles were trailing 2-0 and had been unable to solve Tampa Bay's pitching for much of the night.

Basallo came off the bench and immediately changed the game.

His two-run home run in the eighth inning tied the game.

It was Baltimore's biggest offensive play of the night before Beavers finished things in the 10th.

Basallo also started behind the plate in Game 1, showing his importance to the Orioles on both sides of the ball.

Pitching Gives Baltimore a Chance

The Orioles received enough from their pitching staff to win the series.

Rogers delivered seven innings in Game 1.

Young provided 5⅔ innings in Game 2.

Baz went 5⅔ innings in the finale.

Across the three games, Baltimore's starters combined for 18⅓ innings.

Rogers allowed three runs, Young allowed two and Baz allowed three.

The bullpen was particularly important during the first two games.

Kittredge, Garcia, Walker and the other relievers consistently prevented Tampa Bay from adding insurance runs.

That mattered most in Game 2.

The Rays led 2-0 entering the eighth inning, but Baltimore's pitchers did not allow another run.

That gave the offense enough time to come back.

What the Three Games Mean

The Orioles showed three different sides of themselves during the series.

In Game 1, they won with power.

In Game 2, they won with late-game execution.

In Game 3, they simply could not generate enough offense against a dominant starting pitcher.

The two victories were especially important because Tampa Bay presented a difficult challenge.

Baltimore finished the series with two victories, 12 runs and 18 hits.

The Orioles also received home runs from Alonso, Beavers, Basallo and Cowser during the three games.

That is an encouraging combination of veteran production and young-player contributions.

Alonso provided the biggest offensive performance of the opening game.

Beavers delivered the biggest hit of the second game.

Basallo tied the second game with one swing.

Cowser supplied Baltimore's only offense in the finale.

Meanwhile, Rogers and the bullpen helped Baltimore win the opener, and the relief corps kept Game 2 alive long enough for the offense to complete the comeback.

The final game exposed Baltimore's biggest weakness during the series: the offense can still disappear for long stretches.

But taking two of three against Tampa Bay is still a strong result.

The Orioles did not need to dominate every game.

They needed to win the series.

They did.

The Rays avoided the sweep, but Baltimore walked away with two victories and several encouraging performances from players who could play important roles moving forward.

Final series result: Orioles 2, Rays 1.

For Baltimore, the message from the three games is simple: when the pitching keeps the Orioles close, this team has enough power and young talent to make things happen late.