BALTIMORE, Md. — Colin Poche blew another save opportunity on Wednesday night, but his Tampa Bay teammates picked him up with a two-run 10th inning to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, snapping a frustrating four-game losing streak.
Poche, who also blew a save on Tuesday night, gave up a ninth-inning home run to Jorge Mateo that tied the game at 4-4. It put a damper on an otherwise great night for the Rays' bullpen, which pitched 5 1/3 innings against a hot Orioles lineup and allowed just that one run and three hits.
“They did a nice job,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of his parade of relievers. “It felt like there was pressure the entire game, so our pitchers were pitching with runners on base, having to make big pitches, execute pitches and certainly did. You feel for Colin a little bit. It looked like the ball was up where he wants it. Mateo just did a good job of getting to it and knocking out of the park.”
Pete Fairbanks, who just returned to the team on July 17 after being out three-plus months with a lat injury, pitched the 10th inning to get the save. The Rays scored twice in the top of the inning thanks to a two-run double by Randy Arozarena. Brooks Raley got two outs in the seventh and Jason Adam pitched scoreless ball through the eighth inning to pick up holds.
“It’s been a little bit of a grind, this road trip, and we’re trying to finish it on a high note,” Cash said. “It felt like there was pressure the entire game. Our pitchers were pitching with runners on base, having to make pitches and execute pitches.”
Drew Rasmussen started for the Rays on his 27th birthday, and he worked his way through a lot of traffic in 4 2/3 innings, He allowed three runs, two that were earned, and six hits, throwing 75 pitches. He was replaced with two outs in the fifth inning after he hit two batters and allowed an RBI single to Trey Mancini.
He was replaced by right-handed reliever Ryan Thompson, who got Ryan Mountcastle to ground out. Thompson also pitched a perfect sixth inning and has now gone 13 1/3 innings without allowing a run.
The Rays jumped out to an early lead thanks to a two-run homer by Ji-Man Choi. It was his eighth home run of the year, and he drove in Arozarena, who had a two-out single just before his long ball.
The Rays made it 3-0 in the top of the second when Luke Raley hit a solo home run to center field. After some early struggles with the Rays, Raley has been heating up lately, going 5-for-11 — a ,454 average — in the first three games of the series.
The teams meet again on Thursday, with at early start at 12:35 p.m. ET. Ryan Yarbrough (0-5) will start for the Rays against Baltimore's Jordan Lyles (6-8). The Rays then return home for a weekend series with the Cleveland Guardians.
The Rays are now 53-45 on the season, and are holding down the No. 6 spot in the American League wild-card chase. They are one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays (54-44) for the top wild-card spot, and are 2.5 games ahead of the Guardians (50-47) for the final spot.
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