A few notes as O's have lost first two this weekend at the Trop

Losing games is frustrating enough, but racking up close losses provides a whole other level of angst. The Orioles fell to 22-41 with Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. They have lost by two runs and one run in this series.

During their 14-game losing streak, the Orioles went 0-7 in games decided by two runs or fewer. They are 1-2 in such games since the losing streak ended, with both losses this weekend at Tropicana Field. The Orioles are now 4-10 in one-run games.

Austin Wynns hit the Orioles' second grand slam of the season to pull within 5-4 of the Rays in the fifth inning, but they could not score the tie run or go ahead after Wynns delivered his first career slam and first big league homer of any kind since Sept. 24, 2019 at Toronto.

The Orioles have lost both games in which they hit a grand slam this year. Ryan Mountcastle cleared the bases in the first inning off Washington's Jon Lester on May 22, but the Nationals won that game 12-9.

Wynns' slam was the seventh by a No. 9 hitter in club history, and the first since Brian Roberts on Aug 23, 2013 against Oakland.

The Rays have won the season series four years in a row over the Orioles and are on their way to making it five in a row. They are 5-0 this season versus the Birds, and beat them with big offense during a three-game sweep in Baltimore last month, scoring 32 runs. They have won this weekend giving up just six runs while scoring just nine.

Tampa Bay is 11-1 against the Orioles since Aug. 25, 2020, outscoring them 68-36 in that span.

The Rays are 41-24 (.631), and that is the best record in the majors. They are 22-5 since May 13, with a plus-80 run differential. Tampa Bay is also 11-2 in its last 13 home games. Meanwhile, the O's loss Saturday produced a club-record 14th straight road loss. They were once 11-6 away from Camden Yards, but are now 11-20 on the road.

Right-hander Jorge López allowed eight hits and five runs in taking the loss to fall to 2-7 with a 5.64 ERA. O's starting pitchers have thrown five innings or fewer in eight consecutive games. They have gotten just one start of six innings or more in their past 14 games.

Saturday night on the farm: Triple-A Norfolk allowed two runs in the last of the 10th to lose 8-7 at Jacksonville. The Tides hit four homers. They got solo shots from Zach Jarrett (No. 6), Jahmai Jones (No. 2) and Tyler Nevin (No. 6) while Ramón Urías hit a two-run shot (No. 2). Starter Kyle Bradish allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings.

Bowie held off Binghamton 8-7 to improve to 24-9. Lefty DL Hall allowed one hit and three runs over 4 2/3 innings, with four walks to 10 strikeouts, and his ERA is now at 3.13. Two of his runs scored after he had left the game, on a homer off Tyler Erwin. Robert Neustrom hit a two-run home run for the Baysox, his third, and Doran Turchin hit two solo home runs, his first two homers of the year for Bowie.

High Single-A Aberdeen lost 10-9 at Bowling Green. Kyle Stowers hit a two-out, three-run homer and a double.

Low Single-A Delmarva split a doubleheader at Lynchburg, losing the first game 2-1 and winning the nightcap by a 6-3 score. First baseman T.T. Bowens hit a three-run homer in the second game and went 3-for-7 with four RBIs in the twinbill. In nine games since joining Delmarva, he is batting .286 with three homers and eight RBIs.