Rougned Odor belted a game-winning home run in the 13th inning as the Baltimore Orioles beat the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 8-6 to end a long hex Friday night.
The Orioles snapped a 15-game losing streak in matchups vs. the Rays.
The Rays thought they took the lead in the 13th on Kevin Kiermaier’s single, but left fielder Austin Hays threw out Wander Franco at the plate. The initial call was safe before it was overturned via replay review.
The Orioles lost six straight games prior to a victory Thursday night against the New York Yankees.
Nick Vespi (1-0) notched the win in his first outing in the major leagues, throwing two scoreless innings. Ralph Garza Jr. (0-1) took the loss.
Mike Zunino’s three-run home run in the fifth inning provided earlier offense for the Rays, who had won five of their previous seven games overall.
Kiermaier drove in the go-ahead run with an 11th-inning single for the Rays. Hays matched it with a two-out single in the bottom of the inning.
Both teams scored two runs in the 10th inning. Tampa Bay appeared in good shape when Brett Phillips drove in the go-ahead run with a double and then scored an insurance run on Yandy Diaz’s single.
The Orioles benefitted from reliever Matt Wisler’s wildness in the 10th, with the runner placed at second base and then Hays and Trey Mancini drawing walks. Anthony Santander tied the game with a two-run single.
But Wisler somehow avoided further damage. Pinch runner Ryan McKenna was thrown out at the plate on trying to score on Tyler Nevin’s one-out grounder to shortstop Franco.
This was the first meeting between the teams since the Rays posted a season-opening three-game sweep at home. Tampa Bay went 18-1 against Baltimore last season and also won six of the last seven 2020 matchups.
Orioles starter Tyler Wells breezed through four innings without allowing a hit before Zunino dinged him in the fifth. That came following an infield single and walk.
The Rays were in fine shape through six innings behind Jalen Beeks’ two innings as the starter and then Ryan Yarbrough kept Baltimore off the scoreboard for the next four innings.
But Yarbrough gave up Nevin’s double and Ramon Urias’ single to begin the seventh, so he was replaced by Brooks Raley. A wild pitch and an error on left fielder Randy Arozarena gave the Orioles a boost and Mancini’s two-out single tied the score.
Arozarena went 4-for-5 with an intentional walk at the plate and Kiermaier had three hits.
–Field Level Media
