BALTIMORE—The Orioles had a one-run lead going into the eighth inning, and with a tired bullpen, manager Brandon Hyde used Dillon Tate for a second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tate had gotten the last two outs of the seventh inning after Cole Irvin left with a 3-2 lead. Tate allowed singles to Isaac Paredes and Amed Rosario and a two-run double to Jose Siri, and suddenly the Rays had a lead, and a 4-3 win over the Orioles before 32,463 at Camden Yards on Sunday.
Hyde’s bullpen choices were limited because Yennier Cano, Cionel Pérez and Jacob Webb had worked in the two previous games. Tate (2-1) did strike out Jonny DeLuca and the Orioles got a second out when Siri was out trying to steal third. After he hit José Caballero with a pitch, Danny Coulombe entered and struck out Jonathan Aranda.
The Orioles (37-20) had won eight of their previous nine and seemed on the verge of sweeping the Rays (29-31).
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While the Orioles headed off to Toronto to begin an eight-game road trip, there was concern when second baseman Jorge Mateo was accidentally hit in the back of his batting helmet by Cedric Mullins’ bat.
Ramón Urías pinch-hit for Mateo and played third base while Jordan Westburg moved from third to second.
Gunnar Henderson led off the bottom of the first with his 19th home run, his sixth leadoff homer. It landed on Eutaw Street, the second Oriole to do that in two days. Anthony Santander hit one on Saturday. It was the second time Henderson reached Eutaw Street.
Henderson was 3-for-3 with two walks. In the third, he singled, stole second and scored on Santander’s single.
In the fourth after the Mullins/Mateo incident, Adley Rutschman’s RBI single scored James McCann for the 3-0 lead.
DeLuca, who was 0-for-17, led off the fifth with a drive to center that Mullins caught, robbing him of a home run. It was the second time this season that Mullins made an outstanding catch with Irvin pitching. On April 15th, Mullins made a diving catch in left-center in the first inning against Minnesota’s Kyle Farmer.
After Mullins’ catch, Caballero and Alex Jackson followed with singles. Jackson broke an 0-for-30 streak with the hit. Yandy Diaz’s sacrifice fly scored Caballero.
Caballero led off the seventh with his third home run, and after Jackson flied to Mullins, Tate replaced Irvin, who allowed two runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out one.
Shawn Armstrong (2-1) pitched a scoreless seventh, and in the eighth, Garrett Cleavinger hit Urías with a pitch and after McCann flied to right, Henderson walked, and Rutschman singled to left to load the bases. Ryan Mountcastle hit into a double play, ending the eighth.
Pete Fairbanks got the first two outs of the bottom of the ninth before pinch hitter Ryan O’Hearn singled and Colton Cowser, who was hitting for Mullins, grounded back to Fairbanks, who earned his sixth save.
The Orioles had 15 hits and left 13 runners on base.