ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run single in the 11th inning, rookie catcher Adley Rutschman produced a pair of key swings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Saturday.
Rutschman had his first pinch-hit homer and added a 10th-inning sacrifice fly for the Orioles, whose 10-game winning streak ended Friday night in a 5-4 loss to the Rays.
Baltimore had lost its previous 10 games at Tropicana Field.
“For us to bounce back from yesterday, close game and play another close game and win it’s huge especially against these guys,” Mountcastle said. “They’re a really good team. It’s been a while since we’ve beaten them here. For us to finally get one, it’s big.”
Automatic runner Rougned Odor was thrown out after getting caught between second and third with no outs in the 11th when Jorge Mateo squared around to bunt but didn’t. But Mateo then tripled off Luke Bard (1-1), Cedric Mullins walked and stole second, and Mountcastle flared a single to right field.
Jorge López (4-5) gave up one run over two innings. Joey Krehbiel replaced Cionel Pérez with two on and two outs in the 11th and retired Luke Raley on a flyball to get his first career save.
Rutschman hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th but the Rays tied it when Ji-Man Choi had an RBI single.
Baltimore, at 46-45, is guaranteed to be to least a .500 team when the All-Star break begins after going 52-110 last season.
“It’s just a testament to the character of the guys in our locker room,” Rutschman said.
The Rays went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position through nine innings, and had Randy Arozarena thrown out trying to take third on a double-steal attempt with two on and one out in the 8th.
“That’s the key, I think of the game,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said of the lack of clutch hitting. “It came back and bit us.”
Tampa Bay ended up 2 for 15 with runners in scoring and left 10 on base.
Rutschman got Baltimore even at 3 on his drive off Jason Adam leading off the eighth.
Tampa Bay slugger Brandon Lowe returned after being out since May 16 due to a lower-back injury and went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Lowe reached on a bunt single in the first and had a third-inning single, and scored both times on Dean Kremer wild pitches with Arozarena at the plate and two outs. Arozarena homered in the third to put the Rays up 3-1.
Arozarena finished with two hits in four at-bats with a walk, and has a career average of .376 (44 for 117) with 12 homers and 27 RBIs in 29 games against the Orioles.
Kremer gave up three runs and eight hits in four innings.
Anthony Santander had a double in the Orioles second and scored when center fielder Josh Lowe failed to catch Ramón Urías’ double as he appeared to be distracted by Arozarena running towards him from left field.
Baltimore got within 3-2 in the fifth on Tyler Nevin’s single off Ryan Yarbrough.
Yarbrough, recalled from Triple-A Durham, allowed two runs and five hits over five innings.
Tampa Bay was planning to pinch-hit for designated hitter Yandy Díaz, who was hit in the forearm by a pitch in the ninth, if he came up in the 11th. Cash said Díaz should be OK.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Reliever Félix Bautista was unavailable due to upper-body soreness,
Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier (left hip) said that he may not return this season from a left hip injury and will see a specialist after the All-Star break. … RHP Shane Baz (right elbow sprain) was also moved to the 60-day IL. The starter has been on the IL since July 13.
UP NEXT
Orioles RHP Jordan Lyles (6-7) and Tampa Bay RHP Corey Kluber (5-5) are Sunday’s starters. Lyles has thrown 100 or more pitches in each of his last four starts.
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