The Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in 10 innings on Saturday, taking their second straight game from the best team in the American League and pulling into a five-way tie for the final AL wild-card spot.
Tyler O'Neill delivered the go-ahead hit to open the 10th, lining a single off Rays closer Bryan Baker to score Colton Cowser from second. Baker then loaded the bases with two outs before escaping further damage — but the former Oriole took the loss. Cam Sanders worked around a walk in the bottom of the 10th to close it out, striking out two, including a hard-fought battle with Richie Palacios for the final out, to lock down the save.
"Never got the opportunity like this at the big-league level," Sanders said of the high-leverage spot. Acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this season, Sanders has now picked up two wins and two saves in six games with Baltimore. Manager Craig Albernaz didn't hold back on his reliever afterward: "He's answered the bell whenever we give him the ball. We've been putting him in some pretty tough spots. Today was a huge for us."
Kyle Bradish set the tone from the mound, holding Tampa Bay to two earned runs on six innings of work with three strikeouts. He matched up against Rays starter Ian Seymour, who was sharp in his own right — nine strikeouts over six innings — but surrendered both of Baltimore's home runs. Andrew Kittredge picked up the win despite allowing Tampa Bay to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.
Baltimore built its lead early and had to fight to hold it. Pete Alonso went 3-for-5 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored, and Christian Encarnación-Strand added a solo shot and an RBI of his own — the two blasts pushing Baltimore ahead 3-1 in the sixth. Former Oriole Cedric Mullins, now playing center field for Tampa Bay, answered with an RBI triple to cut it to 3-2. Leody Taveras chipped in a 2-for-4 night with an RBI.
The Rays tied it in the ninth when Junior Caminero's RBI single, a bouncer fielded by Encarnación-Strand at third, scored the tying run and forced extra innings.
The win leaves Baltimore (60-63) tied with four other teams for the American League's final wild-card spot. "That's crazy," he said, calling it a sign of just how competitive the league is this year, and just as much a testament to how resilient his own clubhouse has been. "Now we have a chance."
The one lingering concern: Alonso pulled up running out of a ball in the box to first in the 10th. Albernaz said afterward that Alonso's right calf had started cramping, and he had visible trouble moving in the bottom half of the inning, but stayed in the game rather than come out.