ST. PETERSBURG, Florida—Ramón Urías’ eighth-inning, two-run home run helped the Orioles to break a 4-4 tie and go on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-5, before 23,898 at Tropicana Field on Saturday night.
After José Caballero homered against Burch Smith (4-0) in the bottom of the seventh to tie it at 4, Jackson Holliday led off the eighth with a walk against Colin Poche (1-2), and Urías hit his sixth home run to give the Orioles a 6-4 lead. Ryan Mountcastle singled off Poche’s left leg to score Colton Cowser and give the Orioles a 7-4 lead.
Yennier Cano struck out his first two batters in the eighth and after he allowed singles to Yandy Diaz and Christropher Morel, Cionel Pérex walked Dylan Carlson to load the bases and Jose Siri to score Diaz. Caballero flied to left, ending the eighth with the Orioles leading 7-5.
Seranthony Dominguez walked pinch-hitter Ben Rotvedt with one out in the ninth, struck out Kameron Misner and Cedric Mullins ran down Brandon Lowe’s drive to center to end the game and record his second save.
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The win enabled the Orioles (70-48) to take a one-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees split a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers, winning the first game, 8-0, and losing the second, 9-4.
The Orioles scored three runs in the first, staking starter Corbin Burnes to a 3-0 lead. In six of Burnes’ 23 starts, the Orioles failed to score three runs in a game.
Four of the first five Orioles to face Tampa Bay opener Drew Rasmussen had hits in the first. Adley Rutschman’s RBI double scored Cowser, and Mountcastle’s two-run single scored Gunnar Henderson, whose opposite-field single to left broke an 0-for-16 streak and Rutschman.
Holliday homered against Tyler Alexander, his fifth, to give the Orioles a 4-0 lead in the second.
Burnes didn’t allow a hit in the first four innings but gave up three runs in the fifth.
Josh Lowe, who singled and stole second, scored when Rutschman’s throw to second on Caballero’s stolen-base attempt was wild. Alex Jackson’s double scored Caballero, and Jonny DeLuca’s double scored Jackson.
Burnes allowed three runs on four hits in six innings, walking one and striking out five.