Rays Use Late-Game Rally To Complete Sweep of Orioles
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The Tampa Bay Rays had already secured their eighth consecutive series victory by winning the first two games in their three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles.
That is a success in its own right, but there is something special about being able to sweep a division rival. Entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Rays' hopes of achieving that goal were dwindling as they trailed 3-1.
Their former starting pitcher, Shane Baz, had a great game, going six strong innings with the only run against him being a solo home run from catcher Hunter Feduccia. Tyler Wells pitched a clean seventh inning, leaving Tampa Bay with only six outs to work with.
They made the most of them, not even needing the final three outs in the bottom of the ninth inning after putting together an epic rally in the bottom of the eighth to propel them to a 5-3 win, their fourth victory in a row.
Rays rally in 8th inning to sweep Orioles
The inning started well with Feduccia continuing his hot afternoon with a single. Taylor Walls followed with a pop out to shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Chandler Simpson followed with a force out.
With two outs, the Rays' clutch gene kicked in. Junior Caminero singled to push Simpson to third base. Oliver Dunn was called upon to pinch run for the slugging third baseman on first for his season debut.
That move by manager Kevin Cash would prove to be a major one. Jonathan Aranda was up next and roped a double to right-center field. Simpson and Dunn both scored to even the score at 3-3.
An Arandouble ties it! pic.twitter.com/Z3qHcBUZaJ
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 20, 2026
Ryan Vilade would draw a walk after that, setting the table for Richie Palacios. He would step up, hitting a single to right field to score Aranda and get Vilade over to third base.
All season, Tampa Bay has succeeded because they excel on the margins. Their speed has been a huge asset, and it was once again, with Palacios stealing second base and Vilade stealing home to give them a 5-3 lead.
Big Rig off the RAILSSSS pic.twitter.com/f6o5Qhgr1G
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 20, 2026
Jonny DeLuca would end the inning, lining out to shortstop, but the damage had been done. Ian Seymour came out of the bullpen to close out the game at the top of the ninth, and he did just that, sitting Taylor Ward, Henderson and Adley Rutschman down in order 1-2-3 to secure the sweep.
The Rays have now won four games in a row and improved their record to 33-15 on the year, remaining atop the American League East standings.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.