Tampa Bay Rays beaten by Baltimore Orioles 2-3 – MLB Update
Tampa Bay Rays suffered an embarrassing series sweep as they fell to the Baltimore Orioles 2-3 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on Thursday, September 13 in the finale of their three match series.
Starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson produced a magical performance as he gave up just four hits in five scoreless innings to help the Rays take complete control of the situation but the Orioles were too hot to handle in Baltimore as they came back from behind
to complete an incredible series sweep.
Relief pitcher Chris Archer took the loss after he allowed the tie breaking single to Manny Machado in the 14th inning.
Jeff Keppinger hit a sacrifice fly to centre in the fourth inning to break the deadlock and put the Rays on the board. Ben Zobrist also made a valuable contribution, reaching on an infield single to third in the eighth.
For the Orioles, Taylor Teagarden doubled to deep right in the seventh and Machado delivered the tie breaking single in the extra inning.
"There's a bigger goal in mind," manager Buck Showalter said. "That wasn't the goal from Day One this spring. Really, Day One of the offseason. It's watching other teams for years and saying."
"It's just the same old story: We can't score enough runs," manager Joe Maddon said. "We pitched extremely well, we played well in the field overall, loved the effort."
"I know it hit my glove on the bottom," Matt Joyce said. "It was hard to tell what exactly happened. Only thing I can tell you is I didn't come up with it."
Manager Joe Maddon will be extremely disappointed with the outcome of the series. Rays’ inability to handle pressure situations could cost them a place in the playoffs.
Right now, they are placed third on the American League East Division standings table, four games behind the leaders Baltimore Orioles.
However, things can change very quickly if the Rays can lift their spirits and fight back. Their next series against the New York Yankees will be of great importance. With a series win against New York, the Rays can certainly improve their chance of reaching
the post-season.
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