ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Baltimore Orioles’ series at Tropicana Field this weekend had the potential to serve as the latest — and final — rock bottom of the season.
The Tampa Bay Rays began the weekend with the best record in MLB after winning nine straight games during one of the most successful road trips out west in baseball history. The Orioles, meanwhile, were sputtering after selling at the trade deadline, arriving in the Tampa area losers of five of their past seven series.
But for the past three days, it’s the Orioles who’ve looked like the American League’s best team. Baltimore on Sunday demolished the Rays, 10-2, behind a solid start from Trevor Rogers, clutch hits from Jackson Holliday and Pete Alonso and a seven-run sixth inning. The victory temporarily moves the Orioles into a tie for an AL wild-card spot.
After blood-pressure-raising one-run wins Friday and Saturday, the Orioles turned Sunday’s matinee into a laugher. It wasn’t just Rays fans who were laughing at their own team. Baltimore players enjoyed themselves as much as any win this season — from Colton Cowser homering and bopping third base coach Buck Britton on the helmet to Yohel Pozo celebrating a walk to Pete Alonso giggling after his two-run double in the fifth.
This season has been a roller coaster for the Orioles, with more dips than uphill climbs. It was in this building where the Orioles hit their lowest rock bottom when they were swept by the Rays, falling to eight games below .500 and causing Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcaster Ben McDonald to go on a viral rant. Then earlier this month, the club reached its emotional nadir when president of baseball operations Mike Elias traded away Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells at the deadline. The way the club played after hardly inspired confidence that a magical second-half run was possible.
That is, until this weekend.
The middling Junior Circuit has kept many teams alive this season, causing chaos as the stretch run approaches. The Orioles (61-63) are still two games below .500, but they’re tied with the Texas Rangers for the AL’s third and final wild-card spot. The Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers are a half game back, while the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians are one game behind. All of the other teams’ games have yet to finish Sunday, meaning the Orioles could end Sunday in sole possession of a playoff spot or only a half game back.
To open the game, which began only 15 hours after Saturday night’s extra-inning contest ended, starting pitchers Trevor Rogers and Freddy Peralta were engaged in a pitchers’ duel. It looked like Peralta was going to get the best of Rogers when Ryan Vilade broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with a solo homer off Rogers to give the AL-best Rays (74-49) their first lead of the weekend.
However, that quickly evaporated the moment Rays manager Kevin Cash took Peralta out of the game. Cash brought in southpaw Garrett Cleavinger to face the lefty-hitting Jackson Holliday, and the 22-year-old responded with an RBI single to tie the game. Pete Alonso, who started at designated hitter after his right calf cramp had him hobbling late in Saturday’s game, then put Baltimore ahead with a two-run double.
It appeared as if the modest crowd at The Trop was headed for another nail-biter as the game entered the sixth inning, but the Orioles then put together their best offensive rally this season — all with two outs. Leody Taveras sparked it with a two-out single and then scored on Cowser’s left-on-left home run off Steven Matz, his first off a southpaw this season. Coby Mayo singled, Pozo emphatically walked and then Holliday delivered another big hit off a lefty with a two-run double. Alonso and Gunnar Henderson both walked to set up Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s three-run double that completed the outburst. Seven runs mark the most scored in an inning by the Orioles since July 26, 2025.
Rogers gave up a second run in the sixth inning, but he completed the frame for a bounce-back start. The left-hander was clobbered for seven runs by the Rays in May, but he’s since got his season back on track. He has a 2.45 ERA since the start of July.
The Orioles have a chance to complete the series sweep Monday evening with Brandon Young on the mound. If Baltimore wins, it will be the club’s first four-game sweep of the season and its seventh straight triumph over the Rays after sweeping them in Baltimore in late May.
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