Rays' Winning Streak Ends With 6-4 Loss to Orioles in 11 Innings
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — You can't win them all, even though that's what the Tampa Bay Rays were trying to do this week. Their five-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday when they lost 6-4 in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles.
They had plenty of chances to win — and looked they were going to. They led 3-2 in the eighth inning, but the usually reliable Jason Adam gave up a solo home run to rookie pinch-hitter Adley Rutschman to lead off the inning, only the second homer he had allowed all season. Then the Orioles scored twice in the 11th on a bloop hit to right field by Ryan Montcastle that was enough to win.
The Rays had 10 hits on the day and drew four walks, but were just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
"That's the key of the game. Early on we had too many guys left on base that we didn't knock in, and it came back and bit us,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "(Jason Adam, he gave us a solo homer and comes back and wipes out the next three guys. (Second homer?), it felt more like the second hit (he had allowed all season.)
The Rays got a good start from fill-in Ryan Yarbrough, who's been up and down to Durham a few times while struggling through this season. But he pitched 5 1/3 innings on Saturday and left with a 3-2 lead.
Matt Wisler replaced him and retired five straight hitters. On came Adam, who's been lights out this year. He came into the game with a 1.24 earned run average and 0.72 WHIP and had only allowed runs in four of his previous 40 appearances.
Rutschman, the Orioles' top prospect who made his first career start in May against the Rays, is left-handed, so he pinch-hit for Tyler Nevin. Adam fell behind 2-0, and then threw a fastball that got too much of the plate and Rutschman hit it into the front row of the right field seats.
Adley Rutschman picked a perfect time to hit his fifth home run of the season. #BirdLand | #MLB
— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) July 16, 2022
pic.twitter.com/qb292Aec7B
"I fell behind 2-0, and that was not ideal, but I also went against my gut,'' Adam said. "I wanted to throw a change-up there, but at the same time, in a one-run game let's get back in (the count) and throw a strike. I threw a strike and it was a little fat and he did what good hitters do. He hit it out of the park.
"The fastball wasn't the wrong call, but I threw it right into his loop. I knew he got barrel on it, but I was hoping he hit it high enough to stay in the yard. I was hoping and praying, but it got out, obviously. Any loss is tough, but when you're holding a lead in the eighth and lose, that's extra tough. That falls squarely on my shouulders. That's on me, but short-term memory. Let's come back and win the series (Sunday).''
The Rays still had plenty of chances after the Rutschman homer. In the bottom of the inning, Randy Arozarena and Josh Lowe walked with one out, but then Arozarena was thrown out trying to steal third. Isaac Paredes grounded out to end the threat.
In the 10th, Ramon Urias popped up down the first-base line against Rays reliever Colin Poche, and placed runner Austin Hays was able to advance to third. Rutschman then hit a fly ball to shallow right-center that Brett Phillips caught. His throw home was up the line though, and catcher Christian Bethancourt couldn't hang on to it as Hays was coming by him, giving the Orioles a 4-3 lead.
"It was a strong throw, but I just couldn't come up with it,'' Bethancourt said. "I was hoping I could come up with the ball and make the play. I thought he would be out.''
The Rays tied it up in the bottom of the inning. Phillips bunted placed runner Brandon Lowe to third, and then Ji-Man Choi singled to center to make it 4-4.
In the 11th, the Rays got a break right away, picking off placed running Rougned Odor on the first pitch when he drifted too far off second base on a bunt attempt. Bethancourt made a good throw to second, and when Odor broke for third, Rays shortstop Taylor Walls made a perfect throw to Yandy Diaz at third to gun him down.
But then shortstop Jorge Mateo tripled to center and then Cedric Mullins walked and then stole second. Luke Bard got Trey Mancini to pop out for the second out, but then Montcastle blooped a ball out to shallow right that neither Choi nor right fielder Josh Lowe could get too.
"One pitch in and we've got nobody on and one out,'' Cash said. "(Bard) was grinding through it and was one pitch away, but ultimately, Moncastle got enough of it to get it over Ji-Man's head and in front of Josh in right.''
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Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.