ST. PETERSBURG (WDAE) -- Four pitchers combined on a three-hitter, and Brandon Lowe, Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Diaz all homered as the Tampa Bay Rays earned their sixth consecutive series win with a 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
Ryne Stanek allowed one hit, a two-out double by Dwight Smith Jr., in the first, and Tampa Bay jumped on Orioles starter David Hess in the bottom of the inning, as Austin Meadows singled and Choi moved him to second two batters later. Diaz struck out for the second out of the inning, but Lowe picked his teammate up by blasting a three-run homer to right.
Tampa Bay added a run in the second on an RBI single by Mike Zunino that scored Kevin Kiermaier, and back to back solo homers by Choi and Diaz off Hess (1-3) in the third pushed the lead to 6-0.
Kiermaier made the score 7-0 in the fifth with a base hit that scored Lowe, and after Baltimore finally got on the board in the seventh with a solo homer by Rio Ruiz, Diaz set the scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning with a double that scored Choi from first.
Yonny Chirinos (3-0) took over for Stanek in the second, and allowed one hit in five scoreless innings, walking one and striking out five in a 70-pitch outing. Wilmer Font worked two innings, and allowed the home run to Ruiz, and Emilio Pagan worked a 1-2-3 ninth in his 2019 debut to finish out the game.
Tampa Bay has now clinched a sixth straight series victory, and remains the only team in Major League Baseball that has not lost series this year. They can sweep the Orioles out of town with a win in Thursday's finae.
THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (14-4) vs. Baltimore Orioles (7-12), 7:10 pm first pitch with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars.
Rays starter: RHP Hunter Wood (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Orioles starter: RHP Andrew Cashner (3-1, 5.31 ERA)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday: Rays vs. Boston Red Sox, 7:10 pm first pitch
Saturday: Rays vs. Boston Red Sox, 6:10 pm first pitch
Sunday: Rays vs. Boston Red Sox, 2:10 pm first pitch