Harvey retires 16 in a row, but O's lose 6-3 (updated)

Ditching a 19-game losing streak and winning two in a row created a positive energy with the Orioles that couldn't withstand the cold water dumped on it tonight. By a team that brings its own buckets.

The Rays maintained their hold on the Orioles tonight, scoring three runs in the first and seventh innings with nothing in between, and registering a 6-3 victory before an announced crowd of 7,155 at Camden Yards.

Matt Harvey retired the last 16 batters he faced, beginning with his strikeout that ended the first inning, and Austin Hays hit a two-run homer in the fourth, but Tanner Scott surrendered a three-run shot to Mike Zunino after entering in the seventh and the Orioles fell to 40-87 overall and 1-16 against the Rays.

They were trying to win three games in a row for the first time since July 23-25 against the Nationals.

Baltimore native Shane McClanahan is 4-0 against the Orioles this season, with seven runs allowed in 23 innings. He held them to two runs tonight through the sixth, and Tampa Bay broke the franchise record for most wins against an opponent in a season.

Cedric Mullins singled with one out in the fifth and Kevin Kiermaier made a leaping catch at the center field fence to rob Ryan Mountcastle of a go-ahead home run. Wander Franco made a tremendous leaping grab of Mountcastle's line drive in the fourth.

Scott hit Manuel Margot with one out in the seventh, Kiermaier walked and Zunino crushed a slider for his 27th homer. Scott hadn't been charged with a run in six of his last seven appearances.

"Tanner can be really good at times," said manager Brandon Hyde, "and tonight wasn't his night."

Harvey has allowed 14 runs and 16 hits in 12 1/3 innings against the Rays this season in his three starts.

Five batters in the first inning were his undoing tonight.

Harvey struck out Brandon Lowe with a slider and Nelson Cruz on a curveball, and ended the inning by fanning Kiermaier on a slider. But wedged in between were a walk to Wander Franco and consecutive singles by Austin Meadows, Yandy Díaz, Joey Wendle and Margot.

Franco scored on Díaz's hit. Margot got ahead 3-0 and singled up the middle with the count full to score two more.

Margot entered the game 13-for-38 against the Orioles this season.

"I don't think I made bad pitches," Harvey said. "I thought I had pretty good stuff in the first. Looking back, a couple balls that weren't hit really hard and one or two that were and it easily could have gone the other way."

After throwing 36 pitches in the first, Harvey needed only 10 in the second. Anthony Santander made a diving catch in right field to rob Wendle leading off the fourth and Jahmai Jones followed with an over-the-shoulder catch of Margot's popup.

Eight pitches in the fifth produced three fly balls. Eleven in the sixth left him at 87, but Scott began to warm and replaced him.

"He was tired after the sixth," Hyde said. "I think the long first inning, when he threw 30-plus pitches, and the humidity got to him a little bit there. We had a long conversation. This guy has thrown more innings this year than the last three or four years and has posted for us almost every fifth day. What he did tonight, he did a great job after that first inning. He went five scoreless, but I think the fatigue was settling in there after the sixth."

Harvey was charged with three runs and four hits, striking out four batters and completing the sixth inning for the first time since July 30 in Detroit.

"Obviously, as a starter, you want to go as long as you can," Harvey said. "When we got some runners on there, he kind of asked me again, and after sitting down, I felt like I was a little gassed at that point. And if we scored a run, I didn't want to go back out and give up a run or put runners on and get in a tough situation and not have anyone warmed up. At that point, I felt tired. It was a long first inning and I put everything I had in those last innings. I didn't want to put us in a bad situation and fortunately we had some time to get somebody warmed up."

Trey Mancini singled in the fourth inning and Hays homered to center field with two outs and the count full, his 14th of the season.

Ramón Urías reached on an infield hit and Pedro Severino doubled on a ball that ricocheted off third base, but Jones took a called third strike.

Hays recorded his fifth hit in six at-bats spread over three games with a one-out single in the sixth and Urías was hit by a pitch, but Severino grounded into a double play.

Mullins reached on a two-out error in the seventh and was stranded. Santander was hit by a pitch and Urías singled with two outs, but the Orioles still couldn't get any closer until Mullins homered onto the flag court with two outs in the ninth.

Urías is 13-for-29 in his last eight games.

Marcos Diplán retired all six batters he faced. The Orioles outhit the Rays 10-5.

Notes: Blaine Knight started for Triple-A Norfolk and allowed four runs and six hits in four innings. Cody Sedlock allowed two runs and two hits in four innings - a pair of home runs.

Ryan McKenna hit a three-run homer, his 11th with the Tides.

Gray Fenter started at Double-A Bowie and allowed two runs and three hits with five walks and four strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.

John Rhodes hit a two-run homer for Single-A Delmarva. Cameron Bishop, on an injury rehab assignment, started for the Shorebirds and allowed two hits with a walk and strikeout in a scoreless inning.