Two one-run wins in St. Petersburg
Tyler O’Neill came up in the 10th inning overnight and pushed a single through for the run that settled it. Baltimore 4, Tampa Bay 3. That makes two one-run wins in two nights at the Rays’ place, and the Orioles can take the four-game series on Sunday afternoon.
Craig Albernaz said before first pitch that he was glad his club still had something to play for in August. Baltimore traded away several key players at the deadline. The roster that came out of that sell-off is now inside the race.
“Separation? We’re trying to get into the playoffs,” the Orioles manager said. “Every game means a lot. You feel like when you lose a game it’s a big loss and a win it’s a big win. That’s all you can ask for is to play meaningful baseball down the stretch.”
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A three-way tie behind Texas
The win moved Baltimore into a three-way tie with Toronto and Detroit, half a game behind the Texas Rangers for the last American League wild card. Minnesota and Cleveland sit another half-game back. Six clubs, one spot, six weeks left.
Trevor Rogers gets the ball Sunday for his 23rd start of the season. The left-hander has won four of his past five decisions and carries a 7-8 record with a 4.21 ERA. His record against this particular opponent reads a lot worse: 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in five career starts. The low point came on May 18 in the same ballpark, when the Rays hung eight runs (seven earned) on him over 3 2/3 innings of a 16-6 rout. It is still his roughest outing of 2026.
Diaz is hot again, and Tampa Bay added speed
Yandy Diaz remains the problem at the top of the Rays order. The 2023 American League batting champion hit .385 with a .465 on-base percentage through June, then dropped to .213 in July. He has climbed back to .303 by going 13-for-28 over his past six games with two homers and five RBIs.
Tampa Bay also picked up Jorge Mateo at the end of a 9-0 road trip through Colorado, Seattle and the Athletics. Mateo spent five seasons in Baltimore before signing with Atlanta in January and getting released last week. He is 117-for-139 on stolen base attempts across seven years, and Kevin Cash sees him covering for Ben Williamson’s hamstring injury and spelling Richie Palacios against left-handers.
Freddy Peralta makes his third start since arriving from the Mets. He gave up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings on debut, then held the Athletics to three runs over six innings on Monday. Against Baltimore he owns a 2.45 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 11 innings across two career starts.
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