ST. PETERSBURG -- The Orioles and Rays have played some thrilling, back-and-forth games in recent years, particularly this season. These American League East rivals are known to go at it in contests that can often come down to the wire.
Saturday night brought another one of those showdowns.
Baltimore outlasted Tampa Bay for a 4-3, 10-inning win at Tropicana Field. Tyler O’Neill knocked a go-ahead RBI single to lead off the top of the 10th, then right-hander Cam Sanders closed out the victory with a scoreless bottom of the frame.
The O’s (60-63) have won each of the first two contests in this weekend’s four-game wraparound series against the Rays. Neither has come easy, though.
On Friday night, Tampa Bay scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth. However, Baltimore held on for a 6-5 victory, as Sanders entered the game with two outs and got Ryan Vilade to fly out for a one-pitch save to end the contest.
On Saturday, the Orioles took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth. This time, though, they did not keep their lead, as right-hander Andrew Kittredge gave up three consecutive two-out singles, with Junior Caminero’s infield knock tying the game at 3.
Pete Alonso and Christian Encarnacion-Strand each hit solo home runs for Baltimore, which got a quality start from right-hander Kyle Bradish (six innings of two-run ball).