Baltimore, MD - Brian Roberts’ three-run home run in the home half of the eighth inning slammed the door on a Tampa comeback, as the Orioles completed a home sweep of the last place Devil Rays with a 10-7 win.
Roberts’ blast capped a four-run eighth, extending what was a one-run lead to 10-5, and making a winner of Baltimore reliever Rob Bell (3-1). Bell induced a key inning-ending double play ball in the fifth when he spelled starter Steve Trachsel and thwarted a Rays’ rally. For the afternoon, Bell worked a perfect inning and a third.
The Devil Rays picked up two ninth inning runs on an Akinori Iwamura sacrifice fly and a Greg Norton RBI single.
Baltimore raced out to an early 6-2 lead with a five-run third inning keyed by a Paul Bako double and a soft infield single by shortstop Brandon Fahey. After Rays’ starter Edwin Jackson (2-10) walked Roberts and Corey Patterson flied to center, Nick Markakis knocked home a pair of runs with a single to right- center and advanced to second on an errant throw from centerfielder B.J. Upton. Kevin Millar then banged a ground-rule double over the fence in left, plating Roberts and Markakis. Chris Gomez capped the inning’s scoring with a looping single to right that brought home Millar.
Trachsel, though, gave a run back immediately when he served up a home run to Ty Wigginton in the fourth.
The O’s chased Jackson from the game in the bottom of the frame but were unable to score, allowing Tampa to climb back in it with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. RBI singles by Upton and Delmon Young brought the Rays within one, and Trachsel was lifted one out shy of becoming the pitcher of record.
Bell inherited a pair of runners with two outs and Wigginton at the plate, and escaped the inning when third baseman Chris Gomez ranged to his left on a ground ball to force Young at second.
Jamie Walker, Paul Shuey and Cory Doyne pitched an inning apiece to preserve the win, although Tampa touched Doyne for two earned runs on two hits in the ninth.
The win was the Orioles’ eighth in nine tries against the Devil Rays this season, and their fourth in a row overall. Tampa Bay has now dropped six straight, and heads home a season-worst 25 games under .500.
Game Notes
Upton left the game in the seventh with an apparent leg injury and was replaced by Norton…Millar and Markakis each went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI…Gomez and Fahey had two hits apiece…Seven different Devil Rays knocked in a run…Carlos Pena hit his team-leading 24th home run off Trachsel in the top of the second…Pena’s HR was just the fifth surrendered by Trachsel to a left-handed hitter this season…Carl Crawford stole his American League- leading 32nd base, but was also caught stealing in the 5th…Tampa Bay returns home after going 1-6 on the road trip and being outscored 64-20…Baltimore has won five of six.
