The last time the Orioles played at Tropicana Field they were swept in three games. On May 20th, they allowed four runs in the bottom of the eighth, blowing a 3-1 lead. That 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays sent them to eight games under .500.
The 21-29 record convinced at least some fans that the 2026 season was over, but it isn’t.
On Friday night, the Orioles held on for a 6-5 win over the Rays. They’re 59-63 and among six teams, all below .500, who are chasing the final wild-card spot.
In the nearly three months since they last visited the Trop, the Orioles haven’t been swept, but aside from a seven-game winning streak last month, they haven’t put together a consistent stretch.
In the first two stops on their season-long 10-game road trip, they lost two of three to both Texas and Minnesota, two of the other five teams in the midst of the wild-card tussle.
Friday night’s game was the first of a difficult 10-game stretch against the Rays, who have the best record in the American League, and Yankees.
After their four-game series in St. Petersburg, the Orioles come home for a six-game homestand on Tuesday. They’ll host the Yankees for three games and Tampa Bay for three more.
If they can somehow get through this 10-game gauntlet without losing much ground, the schedule eases up.
Though they have another three-city road trip following this stretch, they’ll play St. Louis, the Athletics and Colorado.
Henderson wakes up
Whenever Gunnar Henderson has had a multi-hit game, it’s been easy to think that he was finally breaking out of his season-long slumber.
On Tuesday, Henderson had three hits in a 5-2 win over the Twins, and followed that with three hitless at-bats on Wednesday, though he walked twice.
Henderson had four hits in the Orioles’ win, his first four-hit game since May 17th at Washington.
His average improved to .221, his highest since July 27th. Henderson’s average hasn’t been above .230 since April 13th, the Orioles’ 16th game of the season.
For the first time since September 2023, Henderson batted fifth, and Pete Alonso batted leadoff for the first time in his career.
We’ll see if manager Craig Albernaz keeps Alonso first and bats Henderson lower in the order. Tampa Bay used left-hander Steven Matz as an opener. The Rays are starting another left-hander, Ian Seymour, on Saturday night.
Orioles influence growing in Tampa Bay
There was a familiar scene in the sixth inning when Tyler O’Neill hit a long drive to left-center that Cedric Mullins ran down. After Mullins bounced off the wall, Rays reliever Tyler Wells saluted him.
It was Wells’ fourth game with Tampa Bay, his first at home since he was traded from the Orioles on August 3rd.
Wells has pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits with the Rays.
Mullins has been with Tampa Bay all season, and so has reliever Bryan Baker, who didn’t pitch on Friday night. Baker leads the majors with 34 saves. He’s converted his last 23 save opportunities.
Jorge Mateo, who was released by Atlanta on Sunday, played his first game for the Rays, pinch-running and scoring a run in the ninth.
Former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who’s a senior advisor to the baseball operations department, is surely proud of the four Orioles/Rays.
Baker, Mateo, Mullins and Wells were all on the 2023 Orioles team that won the AL East. They may repeat that this year with the Rays. While four 2023 Orioles are on Tampa Bay, there are only three Orioles on the 26-man roster remaining from that 2023 team: Henderson, Kyle Bradish and Yennier Cano.
Sanders to the rescue
Albernaz has done well at mixing and matching his bullpen since he doesn’t have a true closer. Wells had been the de facto closer after Ryan Helsley landed on the injured list for the second time with right elbow inflammation.
Cano had a shaky ninth, facing six batters. Four reached, and three scored. Albernaz called on Cam Sanders, who threw one pitch for his second save.
Sanders is the ninth Oriole to record a save this season.
Chris Bassitt started for the first time since June 3rd, pitching 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
Josh Walker relieved Bassitt and earned his first major league win at age 31. It was his 40th major league appearance.
What’s going on in the minor leagues?
In his second start with Double-A Chesapeake, Anthony Eyanson allowed two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking four and striking out seven as the Baysox beat Reading, 5-2.
Thomas Sosa, Aron Estrada and Dom Keegan homered.
In his second start with High-A Frederick, Kyson Witherspoon pitched five innings, giving up two runs on four hits, striking out nine and walking two in the Keys’ 5-2 win over Bowling Green.
Ethan Anderson, who’s on a rehab assignment, and Braylon Whitaker homered.
Luis De Léon gave up two runs on six hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking one in Triple-A Norfolk’s 6-2 win over Gwinnett.
Heston Kjerstad, Creed Willems and Luis Vázquez homered.
Ty Head had two hits and an RBI and Eric Booth Jr. walked three times, singled and scored twice in Single-A Delmarva’s 9-3 loss to Salem.
Jimmy Anderson, the Orioles’ fifth-round pick last month, had three hits.
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