Orioles left only with hopes of a series split (with quotes)

Getting Chris Tillman through tonight's start with a healthy shoulder will be deemed a win for the Orioles. Just not the kind that's going to aid them in their pursuit of a playoff berth.

They lost a game and ground on the first-place Red Sox, with Tillman giving up the lead in the sixth inning in a 5-2 loss to the Rays before 27,823 at Camden Yards.

The last-place Rays have taken two of the first three games of the series. The best that the Orioles can achieve is an unsatisfying split, and they're sending struggling left-hander Wade Miley to the mound on Sunday.

The Orioles are 81-67 overall, 46-27 at home and 12-6 versus Tampa Bay, which moved ahead 3-2 in the sixth on Evan Longoria's 35th home run of the season.

Mikie Mahtook's two-out two-run bloop single into right field in the eighth increased the lead to 5-2. Mychal Givens let two inherited runners score after the Rays loaded the bases against Oliver Drake on a Chris Davis error, a bunt single and a walk.

Both runs were unearned.

The Orioles trail the Red Sox by three games and will drop to third place and the second wild card if the Blue Jays defeat the Angels.

Tillman didn't allow a hit until Longoria's one-out triple in the fourth, the ball eluding the diving Michael Bourn in right field. Longoria scored on Brad Miller's grounder to first, with Davis throwing late to the plate.

Tillman hit two batters in the first four innings, struck out six and ran his pitch count to 72. He was up to 86 pitches in the sixth when Longoria led off with his eighth career home run off Tillman to tie the game.

Longoria's eight homers match Brian McCann versus Ricky Nolasco for most among active players against one pitcher, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Tillman allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings, with one walk, six strikeouts, a wild pitch and two hit batters. The Rays were beginning to hit everything hard, including the foul balls, and Tillman left after 112 pitches.

Tillman was denied his career-high 17th win and is 8-1 versus the American League East. The Orioles are now 11-1 in those starts.

The talk of Tillman being the Orioles' first 20-game winner since Mike Boddicker in 1984 has been silenced. The trip to the disabled list served as a muzzle.

The Orioles had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth after Hyun Soo Kim's leadoff single, but Manny Machado struck out and former Orioles left-hander Dana Eveland induced a double play ball from Davis.

Eveland faced two Orioles on Thursday and couldn't get an out. He got two tonight against one batter.

Meanwhile, the Orioles have gone sac fly silly. Small ball insane.

Bourn delivered the go-ahead run last night with a fly ball to left field. Machado drove in a run tonight in the first inning with a liner to right field and Kim plated a run in the third with a deep drive to center field.

J.J. Hardy reached twice on balls hit off Rays starter Matt Andriese. He also hit Rick Porcello in Boston. Not sure if there's a name for it - I tried to make a Pesky Pole joke and failed - but he was 13-for-23 in his last eight games after the second single tonight.

Tommy Hunter retired all four batters that he faced before Drake replaced him. Mike Wright retired the side in order in the ninth, with his fastball in the mid-90s.

The Orioles announced a scoring change from last night. Credit Alexei Ramirez with a double, not a single, on the final play of the game. Makes sense to me. The guy rounded second base as the Orioles were getting the out at home.

Here's manager Buck Showalter:

On whether Tillman was tiring: "No, Chris pitched pretty well as far as results. He gave us a good chance to win. We just didn't do much against their pitching. We scored two runs. Andriese was pretty good. I thought Chris, usually second time out after a layoff you might have a little different result, but I thought if you look at the product as a whole, Chris gave us a chance there."

On why a non-contender like the Rays can be tough: "I just talk about, Tampa's playing in one of the toughest divisions. I'm not going to get into rating divisions. But they've got good pitching, they catch the ball, they do a lot of things well. You have a lot of young players trying to make their mark and make impressions. They're playing with a lot of effort and a lot of looseness.

"That's what I was talking about with Chris. If we scored six runs for instance, you're talking about Chris with probably a six-inning outing and giving up three runs. It's just we didn't score many runs. This time of the year, that's September baseball. You've got a lot of clubs that are in different positions and have a different mentality every game."

On small ball again tonight: "It's about scoring runs, however you do it. Manny had a good at-bat, we got ahead. Kim had a couple productive at-bats. Adam had a productive out that set us up for that run. You like to do that, but it's about scoring runs regardless how you do it. Whatever the situation presents, then you attack it accordingly.

"The scoreboard dictates how you attack a game. It's pretty easy if you break it down like that. The scoreboard dictates your approach. You're taking 3-0, 2-0, whatever. The scoreboard tells you how you play the game."

On whether it's a big game on Sunday: "I don't get into that mentality that this has to happen, that has to happen. Our guys will show up and compete their butt off. We'll do what needs to be done and if it leads to a win, so be it. Our guys understand. They don't need me stating the obvious. They understand the atmosphere that they're playing in. Every game is important, just like they were in April. We've got a chance, and tonight won't change that."

On Andriese having poor results vs. Orioles until tonight: "He shows why he's had success and why they think highly of him. He's one of their real strengths. They're seven or eight deep in starting pitching. He's trying to leave a good taste in their mouth. He had a good split-change-fork, whatever you want to call it. It runs two ways, there's no consistency to it. The board was having trouble describing what it was. It's a pitch that's good for him and we had trouble solving it.

"These guys are major league pitchers. The best pitchers in the world. On a given night, they show you why they're good. Tonight was one of those nights."