The bats were quiet again: Rays blank Orioles at Camden Yards

For the Orioles, it was yet another day where their offense came up short.

Tampa Bay starter Erasmo Ramirez pitched seven scoreless innings as the Rays beat the Orioles 3-0 in front of 38,177 at Camden Yards.

If they were hoping to build on last night's walk-off win, getting shut out was not the way to do it. The Orioles have been blanked four times this year, three times by the Rays. They have scored two runs or less 11 times in the past 20 games. Only once today did an O's runner even advance past first base.

At least it went quickly with a time of game of 2 hours, 9 minutes.

The Orioles fall to 23-25 and missed a chance to get back to the .500 mark for the first time since May 5, when they were 12-12.

Ramirez gave up just three singles with one walk and seven strikeouts, throwing 84 pitches. He is now 3-2 with an ERA of 5.53. Even though he began today with poor overall numbers, he had an ERA of 3.30 since April 19 and led the American League in batting average against since that date. Today he gave up just three hits in 23 at-bats to the Orioles.

The Rays began this game having scored two runs or less in five straight games against the Orioles this year and in 13 of the last 26 meetings. But then they scored single runs in the first three innings for a 3-0 lead.

Brandon Guyer led off the game with a double, advanced to third on an infield hit and scored on Evan Longoria's sac fly. Steven Souza Jr. hit a solo homer, his ninth on the year, for a 2-0 lead in the second, and Joey Butler homered to right in the third. He hit his third of the year on the first pitch from Wei-Yin Chen.

For just the second time this year, Chen allowed two homers in the same game.

But he also settled in after those early innings to blank the Rays after that and pitch seven innings. Chen allowed six hits and three runs with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw 88 pitches and falls to 1-4 with an ERA of 3.21. The Orioles are 5-5 in his 10 starts.

Orioles starting pitchers have worked seven or more innings in 11 of the past 17 games.

In Sunday's game to decide this series, Chris Tillman (2-6, 5.59 ERA) faces right-hander Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 2.31 ERA), who ranks seventh in the AL in ERA.