BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Orioles have too much else going on to be overly excited about ending their miserable run of 14 consecutive losing seasons.

Manny Machado blooped an RBI single that eluded left fielder Matt Joyce’s desperate drive with two outs in the 14th inning, and Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 3-2 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep and remain tied with the Yankees atop the AL East.

With their 81st victory — and 13th in a row in extra innings — the Orioles are assured no worse than a .500 record for the first time since 1997.

“There’s a bigger goal in mind,” Manager Buck Showalter said. “That wasn’t the goal from Day One this spring. Really, Day One of the offseason. It’s watching other teams for years and saying, ‘We want to do what they’re doing. We’d like to get a chair at the dance, you know?’ “

It’s been an incredible season for the Orioles, who finished in the cellar in each of the previous four years.

After briefly celebrating a victory that capped a 5-2 homestand against the Yankees and Rays, the Orioles packed in the clubhouse for a trip to Oakland.

Advertisement

“It makes that West Coast trip a little easier when you win,” said closer Jim Johnson, part of a bullpen that kept Tampa Bay scoreless on four hits over the final 62/3 innings. “You can enjoy it for a little bit, the five hours you’re on the flight, but that’s about it.”

The Rays fell four games back in the division by virtue of yet another one-run defeat punctuated by a lack of offensive punch. Tampa Bay has lost 13 of its last 16 one-run games.

“It’s just the same old story: We can’t score enough runs,” Manager Joe Maddon said. “We pitched extremely well, we played well in the field overall, loved the effort.”

But the Rays stranded 10 and went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Tampa Bay left Camden Yards for Yankee Stadium to play a three-game series that begins Friday night.

Sixteen pitchers took part in the game, which lasted 5 hours, 14 minutes. Tampa Bay used a club-record 26 players, including nine pitchers.

After the Orioles squandered a bases-loaded, no-out threat in the 13th, Chris Archer (0-3) got the first two outs in the 14th before Adam Jones walked and Endy Chavez singled. Machado followed with a soft liner toward the line that Joyce trapped.

Advertisement

“I know it hit my glove on the bottom,” Joyce said. “It was hard to tell what exactly happened. Only thing I can tell you is I didn’t come up with it.”

ANGELS 6, ATHLETICS 0: Jered Weaver (17-4) allowed just two hits over seven innings, helping Los Angeles avoid a four-game sweep at Anaheim, Calif. Torii Hunter homered and added an RBI single in a six-run seventh.

BLUE JAYS 8, MARINERS 3: Edwin Encarnacion hit his 40th home run and Adam Lind also connected at Toronto, sending Felix Hernandez (13-8) to his third straight loss.

Hernandez allowed a season-high seven runs and 10 hits in four innings. 

INDIANS 5, RANGERS 4: Jason Kipnis hit a two-run homer in the ninth off Joe Nathan as Cleveland snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory at Arlington, Texas.

ROYALS 4, TWINS 3: Denard Span had a game-ending RBI double in the 10th inning as Minnesota rallied at Minneapolis.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ASTROS 6, PHILLIES 4: Pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie delivered a two-run double in the eighth inning as Houston won at home and ended the Phillies’ seven-game streak.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.