Orioles Take Second Straight One-Run Game From AL-Leading Rays, Winning In Extra Innings

Starter Kyle Bradish battled, the bullpen was excellent and another unusual leadoff hitter came through late

Aug 15, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Gunnar Henderson (2) runs to home during the second inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Orioles are halfway to accomplishing something real for the first time in a long time.

They have become notorious for lost seasons and a never-ending rebuild, with a young “core” that hasn’t done much when it matters. But after a second  straight one-run win over the American League’s best team, beating the Rays,4-3 in extra innings, at Tampa, where the O’s really suffer, perhaps this team could make an actual statement.

If Baltimore, which entered this season with just 10 one-run wins all season, manages to sweep a four-game set at Tropicana Field and crawl back within a game of .500 in the process, then perhaps playoff talk is warranted. Tampa had won nine in a row coming into this series and it looked like they might run away with the pennant, but the Orioles (60-63) rode another very solid start and rookie skipper Craig Albernaz, overmatched most of the season, made astute moves with his bullpen and the Orioles are suddenly threatening to make this 10-game road trip quite interesting.

After surrendering a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Tyler O’Neill – batting leadoff; a true rarity for him and another nice call from Albernaz – singled off ex-Oriole Bryan Baker (an All Star) in the “zombie runner” in the 10th and recently-recalled Cam Sanders, who threw one pitch to get the save Friday, was excellent again, getting the final three outs. Friday night’s unusual lead-off guy, slugging first-baseman Pete Alonso, pulled up running to first base in extra innings, but Albernaz said that was just calf cramping, so it was good news all around.

At the very worst, at this point, the Orioles would go 4-6 on the trip, which will keep them in the hunt for the final Wild Card with the Yankees and Rays coming back to Baltimore. For the second straight night their starter battled and got massive outs when he needed it to prevent big innings.

“Today was huge for us,” Albernaz said. “Big match up. Really tough team.”

Kyle Bradish, who had not logged 40 innings in either of the previous two seasons, may be hitting a bit of a wall in his first full season back from Tommy Johsn surgery. He gave up seven hits and walked four in six innings, and only struck out three. It’s fair to say Bradish didn’t have much other that guts or guile – he threw 92 pitches and only four times did the Rays swing and miss at an offering – but he was staked to an early lead and he only surrendered two runs.

Tampa tied it at one in the third – he gave up a double and two singles but got critical outs from sluggers Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz – to prevent further damage. And in the sixth he gave up another run when ex-Orioles Cedric Mullings tripled into the gap, but he ended the outing stranding Mullins at third on Taylor Walls’s weak line out.

“It was grindy for him,” Albernaz said of Bradish, “but it was also a really good outing.”

Just Enough Runs

The Orioles lineup remains in a funk for the most part; they have started hitting starting pitching slightly more, kinda, but it’s home-run-or-bust lately. Leody Taveras, super clutch all season, drove in a run in the second on a two-hit hit, and  Christian Encarnacion-Strand (fifth) and Alonso (27th) each hit solo homers off Rays starter Ian Seymour, who struck out nine as the Orioles are swinging and missing as much as any team in MLB since June 1.

The Orioles dropped Alonso from the leadoff spot – he did that Friday for the first and perhaps only time in his career - and left Gunnar Henderson (1-for-4 with a run scored) in the fifth spot, where he delivered four hits Friday.

The combination of Alex Hoppe, Josh Walker, Rico Garcia allowed just one hit through three innings before the scrappy Rays provided another scare in the 9th.  Andrew Kittredge got the first two outs before getting himself into a similar predicament as Yennier Cano Friday. Diaz and Jonathan Aranda singled and Encarnacion-Strand, not a good defender, could not handle a dribbler from Caminero and super-speedy ex-Oriole Jorge Mateo scored from third while Caminero sprinted safely to first.

Sanders walked one in the ninth but struck out and two, making this series already more interesting than many would have thought.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Albernaz said of Sanders. “It’s been awesome to see. He’s answered the bell whenever we’ve given him the ball.”

Bird Seed

Albernaz informed the media before the game that catcher Samuel Basallo is starting his rehab work in Norfolk as he the rookie tries to return from the Injured List. Blaze Alexander, out since before the All-Star break after being hit on the hand with a pitch, is taking batting practice and will go for another medical check soon … Orioles Opening Day starter, Trevor Rogers, starts for Baltimore Sunday in an early 12:15 first pitch. He has allowed 15 hits in 16 innings over his last three starts.

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