The Tampa Bay Rays (81-58) got their fifth straight win with a 5-4, ten-inning win over the Baltimore Orioles (45-92) on Labor Day afternoon at Tropicana Field.
This game started well for the Rays, who got a 2-0 lead over Asher Wojciechowski with a two-run blast from Austin Meadows in the third inning. Then in the fifth inning with two outs, Joey Wendle was hit by a pitch before Austin Meadows again singled to put two runs on. Tommy Pham came through with the two-run double to left-center field to drive them in and the Rays had a 4-0 lead.
Ryan Yarbrough got the start for the Rays and pitched five shutout innings before running into some trouble in the sixth inning. After Hanser Alberto homered to lead off the sixth, Yarbrough retired the next two batters he faced. However the Orioles were able to create a two-out rally - after a pair of base runners reached, Mark Trumbo doubled them in to make it 4-3. It was Trumbo's first game of the season as he played his first game since August 19, 2018, at Cleveland, as he had been recovering from surgery on his right knee that has kept him on the injured list all season up to now. From there Pedro Severino drove in the game tying run on a single through the hole at second base and it was a new ballgame tied 4-4.
That was as close as the Orioles could get through regulation - in the tenth inning, Colin Poche (4-4, 4.67) worked a scoreless inning for the Rays. Dillon Tate (0-1, 6.35) came out to work the bottom of the tenth inning and allowed Joey Wendle a walk with one out. After Austin Meadows moved him to second base on a ground-out to shortstop, Tommy Pham came up and did not disappoint. His single through the hole at shortstop scored Joey Wendle and sent the crowd of 10,566 home happy with the 5-4, ten inning victory.
The Rays and Orioles now prepare to play two on Tuesday in a straight doubleheader - they are doing so in advance of the possibility of bad weather as Hurricane Dorian continues to cause problems in the Atlantic. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 PM ET - you can hear coverage of both games, beginning with Steve Carney and the Inside Pitch at 2 PM, on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620, your home of the Rays.
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