The Tampa Bay Rays just love coming back on other teams, and they proved it again on Sunday, as they used a six-run eighth inning, keyed by a grand slam by Brett Phillips to complete a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 9-5 victory at Camden Yards.
Tampa Bay came into the eighth trailing 5-3, but left-hander Paul Fry loaded the bases on a base hit by Brandon Lowe and walks to pinch-hitter Jordan Luplow and Nelson Cruz before getting a popout from Austin Meadows. Fry then walked Wander Franco to force in a run for a 5-4 deficit, and force Brandon Hyde to bring in Dillon tate to face pinch-hitter Yandy Diaz. Diaz lifted the first pitch to center for a sacrifice fly, scoring Luplow to tie the game. Manuel Margot walked to reload the bases, and Phillips, who swung and missed on a Tate fastball earlier in the at-bat, connected the other way to break the toe with a grand slam, his second homer of the afternoon.
Baltimore needed one pitch to get out in front to start the game, as Cedric Mullins took Michael Wacha‘s first pitch and deposited it in the stands for a solo homer and a 1-0 lead. The Orioles added on two runs in the second on RBI singles by Richie Martin and Austin Hays.
The Rays finally got on the board in the third, as Francisco Mejia tripled off Jorge Lopez and scored on a base hit by Lowe.
The Rays and Orioles continued to go back and forth on the scoreboard. Anthomy Santander countered in the bottom of the third with a solo homer, his seventh, and Meadows homered to cut the deficit back to 4-2.
Wacha again could not get a shutdown inning in the bottom of the fourth, allowing Hays to bring in Austin Wynns with a RBI single to make it 5-2, and Phillips cut the deficit back to 5-3 with a solo shot off reliever Cole Sulser.
The Rays lost another reliever to injury Sunday, as right-hander DJ Johnson left in the sixth inning with a shoulder injury. Johnson’s replacement, JT Chargois gave up just one hit in getting out of the sixth and a scoreless seventh. Matt Wisler worked a scoreless eighth, and Ryan Sherriff allowed an RBI double to Santander in the ninth, but stranded him in scoring position to end the game.
The win, coupled with Boston’s loss in Toronto, extended Tampa Bay’s lead in the American League East to four games.
The Rays have Monday off before starting a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.