Tampa Bay Rays outclass Baltimore Orioles 3-1 – MLB News
Tampa Bay Rays continued to impress the critics by securing a narrow 3-1 win against Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, May 19 in the finale of their three match
series of the 2013 Major League Baseball regular season.
With their win, the Rays improved their record to 23-20 in addition to claiming a deserving series sweep against the in-form Orioles. Rays showed great determination and fighting spirit in the American League
East Division last season but unfortunately, they were unable to make it to the playoffs. Manager, Joe Maddon, will be very happy with what he has seen from his men so far this season and it will be interesting to see if the Rays can sustain consistency in
their results to grab the top spot on Al East Division standings table before the All Star Break.
Rays’ starting pitcher, Matt Moore, led from the front, allowing just five hits and one run in seven solid innings to grab his eight consecutive win of the season. A lot of credit should be given to the right
hander for making the most of the available opportunities and it will be exciting to see if Moore can continue his winning streak to claim his first even American League Most Valuable Player award.
"Historically speaking, it's been wonderful," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Moore's season.
"It's good for our team. That's the biggest thing we can take away from my record," he said. "On my days to pitch, we're winning all the games. That's the most important part. "
"It puts us back in with a tie, standings-wise, which I think is important," Maddon said. "You got to get over each team that is in front of you before you can get back to the top. To come in here (and get a
sweep) indicates how much better we've been playing."
Relief pitcher, Joel Peralta, pitched the scoreless eights and closer, Fernando Rodney, saved his eighth games of the season after he tossed up the perfect ninth. Desmond Jennings and Matt Joyce made useful contributions
with the bat to help the Rays post decent total on the board.
Orioles were the surprise package last year when they reached the post season with no one giving them a chance to do so. Manager Buck Showalter will be slightly upset from his team’s performances so far this
year. Overcoming the Major League Baseball giants including the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will be a challenging task and the Orioles may find it tough to live up to the expectations.
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