Orioles tally three runs in sixth to turn back Rays 3-1 (updated)

The season shifted past the one-third mark for the Orioles tonight. It also dumped them into a treacherous stretch of 29 games in 30 days, the only breather coming on June 17, wedged between series against the Phillies and Yankees. The two teams with the best records in baseball.

How they responded tonight again illustrated why they also belong among the finest.

They pitched, they made plays in the field and they eventually hit in the clutch. Another division opponent was on the wrong side of it.

Austin Hays came off the bench to deliver a game-tying single in the sixth inning, Jorge Mateo doubled to score two more runs, and the Orioles defeated the Rays 3-1 before an announced crowd of 27,364 at Camden Yards.

Craig Kimbrel recorded his 13^th save and 430^th of his career to take sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list, and the Orioles improved to 36-19 after winning for the seventh time in eight tries.

The Orioles went 17-9 in May and have posted eight consecutive winning full months, their longest streak since May 1982-September 1983, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The Braves own the longest current streak at 11 months, but will finish below .500 this month.

Manager Brandon Hyde didn’t need to gather his team today and recite the challenges awaiting it.

“They know what the schedule looks like,” he said.

They also know that you can’t judge the Rays by their 28-30 record. It was a grind.

Anthony Santander singled with one out in the sixth and left-hander Richard Lovelady replaced starter Aaron Civale with the Rays leading 1-0. Colton Cowser singled and Hays pinch-hit for Cedric Mullins and singled past diving shortstop José Caballero for his sixth RBI.

Hays is 5-for-9 as a pinch-hitter.

"I talked to him before the game a little bit," Hyde said. "He's got a great attitude and this is not easy for him, so I give him a ton of credit for staying ready, being ready. He's done a lot of really good things here, and to kind of accept the playing time right now is not easy. I'd love to get him going. He can really impact a baseball game, not only offensively but defensively. Right now we have a lot of good players, but for him to stay ready, he's got some big hits off the bench for us. That was a huge hit tonight."

"I understand the situation I'm in right now, so I'm ready to take that at-bat whenever it comes, and right there was a big moment in the game," Hays said. "I was able to take advantage of it. It feels good."

Hays, an All-Star last summer, is batting .173 with a .445 OPS.

"It's been really tough," he said. "It's pretty much the opposite of last year. I think it's tested me a lot, but I feel like I'm handling it as best I can. I'm showing up to the park every day with a positive mindset, being ready for the moments like tonight to contribute any way I can for the good of the team. Being ready to play defense whenever I can and take advantage of my starts when I do get them. Just try to handle myself like a professional and show up to the park every day ready to play the game that I love and contribute to the team."

This isn't the first time that Hays has batted for Mullins, an All-Star in 2021, but outfield slumps are changing the way Hyde is handling them.

"We're not performing like we've always performed," Hays said. "We haven't done what's expected of us and we need to play better, and we're going to continue to watch video, work on different things and make sure that we're preparing ourselves as best as possible for what we're going to see in the game that day. Who's in the bullpen. Not looking back and saying, 'Oh, I should have done this the first month.' Or, 'I've done this my last 20 at-bats.' Just continue to turn the page, move to the next day, continue to make adjustments.

"I wish we were playing better right now but we're not. We need to step up for this team and we're going to. That's just how we're going to continue looking at it."

Ramón Urías struck out, right-hander Nick Maton entered and Mateo drilled a sweeper – the seventh pitch of the at-bat - off the 90-degree angle in left-center.

"I thank God that it was because of that that we were able to win the game," Mateo said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. "My mentality is always to help the team win, and I was able to do just that."

Mateo fell behind 1-2 before registering his second multi-hit game of the season.

"He's gotten huge hits for us," Hyde said. "He hit that ball on a line, deep part of the ballpark. Jorgie, when he stays on the baseball, really good things happen."

"He's been like that ever since he got here," Hays said. "When he's on the field, he makes a difference."

Albert Suárez allowed one run and four hits in five innings. He came out after 95 pitches.

"I didn't know how far he was going to be able to go," Hyde said. "Kind of shoving him back into the starter role. Last time out he goes 80 pitches, which is way more than we actually thought. And he's on regular turn. I thought he really gutted through it and only allowing one run. Got a little better as the game went on, and giving us five innings was huge."

Suárez generated only nine whiffs, his fewest in a start this season per Statcast. But he held down the Rays until his teammates rallied.

"Right now I'm a little tired," he said, "but during the game you always want to be there on the mound."

Yandy Díaz singled on Suárez’s first pitch and Jonathan Aranda walked with two outs, but Cowser ran down Jonny DeLuca’s line drive to left field after breaking late on the ball, which was 100.1 mph off the bat. Suárez threw 25 pitches and didn’t allow a run.

Civale threw 27 in the bottom of the first and also stranded two runners after infield singles by Gunnar Henderson and Ryan Mountcastle.

The Rays led 1-0 in the second on Richie Palacios’ leadoff double, a sacrifice and Ben Rortvedt’s single.  Mullins chased down Díaz’s fly ball in right-center, clocked at 102.8 mph, to end the inning.

Suárez’s pitch count was 68 through the third after Isaac Paredes doubled with one out and couldn’t advance, but he retired the side in order on nine in the fourth and stranded a runner in the fifth.

The start came after news was shared earlier today that John Means and Tyler Wells would undergo elbow surgeries and be lost for the remainder of the season.

"That's not good for them, for the team," Suárez said. "I just hope the best for them. This is baseball, things happen, and I hope they stay positive and come back stronger."

Mountcastle’s hit was the last for the Orioles until Santander singled with one out in the fourth. Mateo and Adley Rutschman singled in the fifth, but Ryan O’Hearn flied out.

Rutschman threw out Jose Siri trying to steal in the seventh. Yennier Cano walked two batters in the inning and Caballero reached on an infield hit, but Danny Coulombe got the last out on one pitch to run his streak of stranded inherited runners to 12.

Oriole-killer Randy Arozarena pinch-hit with two outs in the eighth, representing the tying run, and Jacob Webb retired him on a foul popup.

The Orioles are a season-high 17 games above .500. They won't have two important members of their pitching staff but have found more motivation to keep winning.

"It's heartbreaking," Hays said. "It was a long road for Means to get back here with the team. That's really tough. I've been with John for a long time, and Wellsy, too. It's really tough but you have to move forward. The game doesn't stop for anybody, doesn't slow down for anybody, so we've really got to rally together as a team.

"We have a lot of guys in this locker room who have done a good job of that over the last couple years, stepping up when guys go down, moving into different roles. We use a lot of guys night in and night out. It's a different hero every night."

"It's unfortunate what happened," Mateo said. "It's unfortunate for the team and for those guys. Those are things that we can't really control. Our goal always remains the same, which is to go out there and win the game."

* In a scoring change from Monday’s game against the Red Sox, Cowser is now credited with a hit in the fourth inning instead of an error charged to second baseman Vaughn Grissom.

* Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Cade Povich allowed six runs and four hits in three innings to raise his ERA to 3.18.

Jackson Holliday singled and had a two-run double within the first three innings. Daniel Johnson hit his 10^th home run. Terrin Vavra had an RBI double in the fourth and Connor Norby delivered a three-run triple.

Cameron Weston lasted only two-thirds of an inning with Double-A Bowie, throwing 33 pitches and allowing four runs and two hits with three walks.

TT Bowens singled twice and hit his sixth home run. Collin Burnes had a two-run double.

High-A Aberdeen’s Matthew Etzel had a two-run single and stole his 25^th base.

Juan Rojas also threw 33 pitches with Single-A Delmarva and was done after the first inning. He allowed two runs and two hits and walked three batters.

Blake Money relieved Rojas and allowed an unearned run and one hit in 5 1/3 innings. He walked none and struck out six.