Tampa Bay Rays beat Baltimore Orioles 9-6 to clinch rubber game - MLB Update
The Tampa Bay Rays overpowered the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 in the rubber game of the three-game series at Oriole Park on Sunday, June 12 to clinch it 2-1.
The Rays’ Johnny Damon launched a splendid one-run homer off the Orioles starter Brian Matusz in the beginning of the first inning to lay a strong foundation for later batters. Evan Longoria hit a sacrifice and Sean Rodriguez reached safely at first base
on an error by third baseman Mark Reynolds for an RBI single to take their team to 3-0 early lead.
The Orioles’ Adam Jones launched a dazzling homer in the bottom of the first inning to reduce the lead by one run. Vladimir Guerrero also launched a striking one-run homer to reduce the lead to 3-2.
In the top of the second inning, B.J. Upton hit a sacrifice, after the Orioles’ reliever Alfredo Simon replaced Matusz, for an RBI single which took the Rays to a 4-2 advantage. In the third inning, Johnny Damon drove in a fifth run for his club but in the
bottom half of this inning, Adam Jones bunted in a single to reduce the lead again by one run.
After this inning, the Rays’ starter Wade Davis and the Orioles’ reliever Simon, both did not allow any run until the seventh inning. However, in the seventh inning, the Rays’ Kelly Shoppach touched an RBI double after Mike Gonzalez relieved Simon, to take
the lead to 7-3.
In the bottom half of this inning, Wade Davis handed the ball to Adam Russell and he immediately gave away an RBI single to Nick Markakis followed by an RBI single to Adam Jones. At the end of the seventh inning the score was 7-5.
However, Longoria launched an inside-the-park homer against Orioles’ relief pitcher Jeremy Accardo in the top of the eighth inning to take the lead to 9-5.
"I saw he had his glove up so I thought he was going to catch the ball," Longoria said. "As soon as I saw it take that left turn, I put my head down. I was gassed by the time I got around third, but I was able to keep chugging and beat the throw."
Though, Luke Scott launched a dazzling one-run homer for the Orioles in the bottom of the eighth inning but lead was in demand of at least four more homers like this one.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Orioles were unable to make any run against the Rays’ closer Juan Cruz, who managed to hold his second game of the season.
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