Amid stellar stretch, Rays hit speed bump vs. Orioles

TAMPA -- The Rays put together a month of nearly flawless, all-around baseball. While going an MLB-best 19-6 between May 20 and Monday night’s series-opening victory against the Orioles, they led the Majors in all manner of statistics, including run differential, ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, batting average, OPS, runs scored and runs allowed.

Perhaps the most telling figure is this: They won 10 games by at least four runs during that streak, and their six losses came by a combined eight runs. In other words, they were in every game -- and they ran away with a lot of them.

So, it had been a while since the Rays played a game like their 5-1 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which snapped their four-game winning streak.

“A lot of things have been going our way lately,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Tonight probably did not go our way as much.”

Each of the Rays’ previous seven losses had come by two runs or fewer, their longest such streak since May 2023. Tuesday was their first defeat by more than two runs since another 5-1 decision in Miami on May 18, more than four weeks ago.

A lineup that had been scoring at will in every imaginable way was limited to seven hits and three walks by Orioles starter Dean Kremer and four relievers. Starter Zack Littell was good enough, but not at his best, as he gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. And Tampa Bay’s bullpen finally cracked, giving up two runs to end a 17 2/3-inning scoreless streak.

This kind of game would have been commonplace, or even cause for concern, during the first eight weeks of the season. Considering the way they’ve played over the past month, it felt like something else.

“Uncharacteristic. But I mean, to have gone this long without having a night like this is a testament of its own,” Littell said. “The guys have gone out there and grinded away every single night.”

Littell shouldered the blame despite recording his 10th quality start, tied with Ryan Pepiot for the team lead, and getting little run support.

Littell gave up one run in the second inning, when Jordan Westburg smashed a leadoff double off the top of the center-field wall and scored on a one-out infield single up the middle by Ramón Laureano.

But Littell retired 10 straight batters after that, and he breezed into the fifth inning with the game tied after Junior Caminero’s RBI single in the fourth. Caminero has driven in 26 runs in his last 23 games since May 24, the most in the Majors during that span.

“Went [to a] three-ball count to two guys, ended up with a double and the Laureano single up the middle that scored the run. But after that, really felt like everything kind of clicked,” Littell said. “Stuff got better, command got really good, kind of cruised there for a little bit.”

But that momentum didn’t last. With two outs in the fifth, Littell fired an 0-2, middle-in slider that Colton Cowser launched out to right-center field for a home run -- the right pitch, Littell thought, but not quite where he wanted it. It was the MLB-leading 22nd homer (and the 18th solo shot) he’s allowed this season.

“Put up a run, and I gave it right back,” Littell said. “I kind of view [it as] the starter's job to go out there and kind of set the tempo, and I just didn't do a great job of that tonight.”

The Orioles tacked on another run in the sixth against Littell, stringing together three straight two-out singles.

“I thought he threw the ball well. I know he wants the 0-2 pitch back to Cowser, middle-in for the home run,” Cash said. “Gave us every opportunity, super efficient, three runs over six. Just kind of a quiet night offensively.”

While the Orioles racked up 13 hits on the night, the Rays went down quietly against Baltimore’s bullpen. For all they’ve done well offensively recently, they managed just one extra-base hit and finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position on this night.

There are bound to be more nights like this the rest of the way, but they won’t lower the bar the Rays have set for themselves over the last month.

“I think it's a confident clubhouse to begin with,” Littell said. “I know we lost the two to Boston, but even to come back and sweep New York after that, I think, is a testament to how these guys are going to respond.

“I expect us to come in tomorrow and put together another really complete game and give ourselves a chance to win.”