BALTIMORE – Brett Phillips hit a tie-breaking grand slam in the eighth after hitting the first two-run homer of his career and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 on Sunday night. that they swept in three encounters.
After Orioles starter Jorge López kept the mighty Tampa Bay offense nervous for six innings, the Rays, leaders of the AL East, took it out on Baltimore’s fragile reliever team. to erase a 5-2 deficit and hit a 24-game streak above .500 (68-44, his season-high average.
Phillis unleashed his offense with a solo home run off Cole Sulser in the seventh, and Tampa Bay threw two more Orioles relievers in the eighth. Paul Fry (4-5) gave up a single early in the inning and then walked three that drove in a runner. Dillon Tate followed, allowing a sacrifice fly to Cuban pinch hitter Yandy Diaz.
Tate walked Manuel Margot, who loaded the bases for the Phillies. The next homer went out into the stands between left and center fields to put the scoreboard 9-5.
Reliever JT Chargois (2-0) scored the win with a one-third inning after starter Michael Wacha gave up five runs and 10 hits in five innings.
For the Rays, the Dominicans Nelson Cruz 4-0, one scored; Wander Franco 4-0, one scored, one RBI; Manuel Margot 3-0, one scored, and Francisco Mejía 3-1, one scored. The Cuban Yandy Díaz 0-0, an produced.
For the Orioles, the Venezuelan Anthony Santander of 5-3, one scored, two RBIs. The Dominicans Maikel Franco 5-2 and Jorge Mateo 3-0, one scored.
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