Rays Finally Score Some Runs, Hang On to Beat Orioles, 7-6

BALTIMORE, Md. — Through this recent four-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Rays have pitched well enough to win, but the offense let them down. It was a bit of a reverse-skate on Saturday.

Rays' pitchers let a big lead slip away, but the quiet Tampa Bay offense kicked it into high gear, getting 14 hits and winning the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to take down the Baltimore Orioles 7-6.

The win? The Rays really needed that.

"The offense did a great job of picking us up, that's for sure,'' said Rays starter Jeffery Springs, who gave up four runs in a Rays uniform for the first time, lasting just 4 1/3 innings. "You knew they were going to show up, and it's just a matter of time because they're really good. We believe in them, and it was fun to watch them bust out.

"I wasn't very good today, but luckily the offense picked me up.''

Springs, who came into the game with a 1.45 earned run average, got into early trouble in the second inning, allowing a two-run double to catcher Robinson Chirinos that ended streak of 13 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Singles by Tyler Nevin and Ryan McKenna had preceded it, and he was frustrated that he fell behind in the count to Chirinos, especially with men on base.

"It was too many 2-0 counts, too many wasted pitches, that kept getting me in trouble,'' Springs said. "I've got to fill it up better. I felt like I wasn't even close a lot of the time.''

The Rays hitters picked him up, though. They had scored only four runs in four games prior to Saturday, but they scored four right away in the top of the third after Springs fell behind.

Rays catcher Francisco Mejia, who had four hits on the day, led off the third with a single and then center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, back in the lineup after missing two-plus games, did the same. Manuel Margot then laced a double to right, scoring them both to tie the game.

And they weren't done. Yandy Diaz got on with an infield hit and after two outs, Harold Ramirez doubled off the wall, scoring two more runs to make it 4-2.

They added two more in the sixth inning on a two-run homer from Ji-Man Choi that landed in the bleachers in right center. They had a 6-2 lead.

But the bottom of the fifth was a mess, and in a lot of different ways. Austin Hays singled to open the inning for Baltimore, then went to second on a Springs wild pitch and got to third on a ground ball. Despite being ahead 6-2, Rays manager Kevin Cash decided to play the infield in. Ryan Mountcastle hit a hard drive right at the drawn-in Yandy Diaz at third base and it got past him for a single. Had he been playing back, it would have likely been the second out.

Cash then took the ball from Springs, who had thrown 86 pitches, and brought in Matt Wisler. But he gave up a single and a walk, and then Chirinos beat the shift with a ball to right field, and two more runs scored to make it 6-5. Cash took Wisler out, and Jason Adam got Jorge Mateo to line out to left to end the threat.

"We were trying to prevent as many runs as possible. We're pretty consistent with that,'' Cash said when asked about bringing the infield in. "It didn't really work in our favor today.''

Ryan Thompson's struggles continued in the sixth inning, allowing the game-tying run to score to make it 6-6, even though he should have been out of the inning. He got the first two outs, but then shortstop Taylor Walls let an easy ground ball go right underneath his glove. Thompson walked Anthony Santander and then Mountcastle singled to left to tie the game.

The Rays found a way in the ninth inning. Diaz drew a one-out walk, and then Choi singled the other way to left-center. Randy Arozarena then got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run.

The @RaysBaseball take the lead!

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"It felt good to score some runs. It's a funny game, the way we've been pitching so well. It was nice to get some runs early, and it felt good to win the game,'' Cash said. "It looked like we had a solid approach. Mejia had a big day, Yandy big day, Ramirez big day, and Choi. They all contributed and we needed every one of them.''

The Rays bullpen came through in a big way, too. Shawn Armstrong pitched a perfect seventh, Calvin Faucher had a 1-2-3 eighth and Colin Poche picked up his fourth save of the season with a perfect ninth to snap the losing streak.

"Poche's been good for us. Really good,'' Cash said. "We're asking a lot of some young pitchers who haven't been in this territory, but it's a good thing that Poche has.''

The two teams wrap up the series on Sunday, with Corey Kluber going for the Rays against Baltimore's Jordan Lyles.

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