Villar joins 20/20 club and Alberto is injured in 8-3 win (updated)

Jonathan Villar walked up the first base line in the fourth inning and chucked his bat as if disgusted by what he had done with it.

The truth sat on the opposite side.

Guys who join the 20/20 club have no complaints.

Villar hit his 20th home run to go with his 28 steals, becoming the sixth Orioles player to achieve the milestone in an 8-3 victory over the Rays before an announced crowd of 13,287 at Camden Yards.

The second of two changeups thrown by Rays left-hander Jalen Beeks landed in the left field seats and Villar savored the moment. He later wore a huge smile in the dugout.

He really wanted this honor, making it a priority over the course of the season.

Manny Machado was the last Orioles 20/20 player in 2015. Brady Anderson did it in 1992, 1996 and 1999, Don Baylor turned the trick in 1975, Reggie Jackson achieved it in his only season with the club in 1976 and Paul Blair started it all in 1969.

Villar has homered in three straight games and five of seven. The 20 homers are a career high.

Renato Núñez had an RBI single in the first inning and a two-run double in the third, Anthony Santander homered and set a career high with five hits, and the Orioles improved to 43-88 overall and 22-46 at home.

Dylan Bundy covered the first five innings, allowing two earned runs and three total and earning his first win since July 23.

Hanser Alberto made his usual contribution to the Orioles this afternoon, following last night's home run with a single off Beeks. No southpaw is safe.

However, Alberto didn't get to stick around for the conclusion.

Alberto left the game in the bottom of the third inning with head and neck discomfort after sliding into the knee of Rays infielder Eric Sogard while trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt. The safe call was overturned after manager Kevin Cash challenged it.

The Orioles would have removed Alberto no matter the ruling.

Sogard's knee came down on the back of Alberto's head, leaving the Orioles' leading hitter writhing in pain and sending head athletic trainer Brian Ebel onto the field.

Rio Ruiz replaced Alberto at third base in the top of the fourth with the Orioles ahead 4-0. The Rays answered with an unearned run off Bundy, but Villar got it back and the lead grew to 6-1 after Ruiz doubled and scored on Santander's third of four singles of the day.

Alberto is batting .314 with a .777 OPS and the first 10 home runs of his major league career. His single off Beeks lifted his average against lefties to .402.

Pitching coach Doug Brocail also left the game early, with first base umpire John Bacon ejecting him for arguing a check-swing call in the fifth inning. Manager Brandon Hyde argued on his behalf.

Brocail earned his 10th career ejection, fourth as a coach and second this year. He also was tossed April 14 in Boston for the same reason.

Trey Mancini was in a 2-for-19 slump before his two-out single in the first inning. Santander and Núñez singled for a 1-0 lead.

Núñez's double in the third also came with two outs, and after Alberto's injury.

DJ Stewart, who made a lunging catch to strand a runner in the third, led off the fifth with a double and later scored on Stevie Wilkerson's sacrifice fly. Stewart's ball nicked Kevin Kiermaier's glove and hit the top of the fence, with umpires ruling home run before a review changed the call.

Santander led off the seventh inning with his 13th home run. He also had a four-hit day on July 20 against the Red Sox, but moved past that mark with an infield single in the eighth.

Assistant athletic trainer Mark Shires checked on Núñez at second base in the seventh inning. Núñez, who singled and moved up on Stewart's single, stayed in the game but was removed for a pinch-hitter in the eighth after Santander reached.

The Orioles have won two straight games, but they really could use Monday's off-day.

Bundy lowered his ERA to 4.98. An unearned run scored on Kiermaier's single after Villar bounced a throw past Mancini. The Rays cut the lead to 6-3 in the fifth, with Tommy Pham delivering an RBI double and Ji-Man Choi a sacrifice fly.

Villar made a diving stop and throw to rob Kiermaier and save another run from scoring. It was the last of 87 pitches thrown by Bundy.

Miguel Castro, Paul Fry and Mychal Givens combined for four scoreless innings. The bullpen has allowed only three earned runs in the last 21 innings since Tuesday.

Update: Hyde said there's no evidence of a concussion with Alberto but the team will continue to monitor him.

"At this time he has a head contusion and a cervical neck strain. So he's getting checked out again tomorrow," Hyde said.

Núñez felt some tightness behind his left knee, "kind of the hamstring area," Hyde said.

"He should be OK," Hyde said.

The Orioles tied a club record by turning four double plays, the 46th time they've done it and the first since June 30, 2015 versus the Rangers.

Hyde on Santander: "He's putting together a really nice offensive year, obviously. Love the corner defense he plays, as well, and to be able to stick him out in center field and do a nice job. I just like Tony's overall game. I think he's got a chance to be a really nice player. I've said that many times. A switch-hitter that covers the plate that has got some power from both sides.

"I really like the flatness. It's a really flat swing. He stays through the ball really well. That homer, he kind of got in front and stayed through it. When they intentionally walked Mancini, he let the ball get a little too deep on him, but he's strong enough to be able to stay through the ball. So a lot of really good things offensively and he's only going to get better."

Hyde on splitting series with Rays: "A team that's playing well. We lost the first couple games and to be able to come back and get a split is fantastic. A really good ballclub, a team that's going to be in until the very end.

"I just liked their at-bats. I thought we pitched, too. We pitched these last two games so well. Scoreless out of the bullpen today. Miggy, Paul Fry and Givens were phenomenal. We attacked the strike zone.

"Bundy had a tough fifth inning a little bit. We didn't help him out the inning before. But the fifth inning was close to getting away from him, he sucked it up and got through the inning, which was huge for us. Our bullpen guys did a great job after him."

Hyde on Villar: "He's just a really good player and he's got a tools that can do a lot of things. That was an absolute bomb that he hit. So he's got that kind of power, as well as the run tool. To be able to play both middle infield positions. Yeah, he's putting together a great offensive year.

"The second half has been fantastic. And 20-20 is a great accomplishment. We're still a month away."

Hyde on Villar power: "I think he's a 20-plus home run guy with 40-plus stolen base ability and that's not easy to find, especially playing the middle infield."

Hyde on Stewart: "I feel like he's a lot more on time with the fastball. Love to see him go the other way. Today I thought we hit the ball the other way. I was talking to Don Long about it early in the game. We got a bunch of singles the other way. Love it. I love an opposite-field approach anyway, especially with runners on base. Teams that shift you and that whole right side is open or the opposite side of the infield is open, we just did a really nice job of staying on the ball and letting the ball travel and not pulling off and utilizing the other side of the field and it really benefitted us today."

Hyde on bullpen over last 21 innings: "We're able to hold onto leads and stay in the game. I think our bullpen has had a tough time for the majority of the year. I was really impressed with Miguel Castro and Paul Fry today. I thought they came in and pumped strikes and had really good stuff. So hopefully we can continue that for the last month of the year."

Hyde on fewer home runs from Bundy: "I think he's pitching inside more, I think he's locating. When you watch Dylan's games, teams come out really aggressive 0-0 on the fastball. You saw Sogard 0-0 first pitch of the game. Next inning, Choi first pitch of that inning, base hit. So he's doing a better job of recognizing what teams are trying to do and be able to utilize his off-speed stuff, which is really good. And use the fastball that has life inside and be able to locate. It's keeping guys off the barrel more and not be able to just sit on heater.

"This park is a great offensive park, it's a great place to hit, so you can't just sit on the heater on him anymore."

Hyde on Brocail: "There were a couple check-swings that we felt didn't go our way."

Villar on 20/20: "That's very important to me. That's a new record for me. Myself, I don't think about that for now. I'm thinking about finishing hard. I'm happy because it's my first time hitting 20-20. I come in tomorrow, day off. I come back to the field and I can do it. You never know, maybe I can make it 30-30. Now I'm focusing finishing hard."

Villar on homer: "I hit that one perfect right there. I didn't see the ball where it was going. That's unbelievable."

Villar on power surge: "That's not my game. My game is putting the ball in (play). If it hit it good, the ball keeps going. I don't think about homers all the time when I come to the plate. I think only hit the ball. I don't know where the ball's going. It feels good to see the ball and hit a homer.

"My game's like run the bases, good defense, so now I feel I got power right there. They told me, a couple of guys, that's not your game because you're a leadoff hitter."

Villar on whether he'd go for 40 steals: We have like (31) games, so you never know. You never know. Same with the homers. Couple of months ago I had 11. Now I have 20. You never know. In a month, I can steal 20 stolen bases. I try. I try to do it. I only need to (get on) the bases all the time."

Santander (via Ramón Alarcón) on whether he was thinking five hits: "My mindset is to play aggressive, no matter what, all the way until the end until the 27th out. Thankfully, I was able to get that hit, hustle really hard to first base and got another hit."

Bundy on his start: "It was a battle from pitch one. Didn't really have a slider or curveball, but the two-seamer and split came into play midway through the game and I think that really helped me out today."

Bundy on limiting damage in fifth: "That's all you try to do as a starter is limit the damage and we had some great defensive plays today."

Bundy on whether fewer home runs allowed due to pitching inside: "I think yes and no. Sometimes you can pitch inside and other times you can't. Sometimes you have to rely on off-speed pitches to slow some guys down. But everybody knows this lineup is a tough lineup and they're aggressive, so you try to take advantage of that."

Bundy on run support: "It seemed like every time I came back in the dugout they were putting another run on the board. It's always nice as a starting pitcher to get some runs early and you can relax a little out there."

Bundy on Villar and Santander: "It's awesome. Santander's really starting to get hot here lately. Villar's put together a really nice season. You don't see many 20/20 guys anymore, so that's impressive and I'm happy for him."

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