Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Julio Lugo's RBI single in the bottom of the 13th lifted the Baltimore Orioles to a wild 11-10 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the second of three games at Camden Yards.
Julio Lugo Caps Off Drama As Orioles Rally, Stun Rays
The Orioles needed to score twice in the ninth and once in the 12th just to prolong the game into the 13th, helping to stop a four-game losing streak.
Luke Scott homered twice and was part of a trio along with Ty Wigginton and Adam Jones that went deep three consecutive times in the second inning. Miguel Tejada added two two-run doubles in the victory, only Baltimore's second in eight games this season against Tampa Bay.
“This was a total team effort,” said Lugo. “Everybody did a little bit of something. We make plays together.”
Koji Uehara (1-0) received the win after pitching 1 1/3 scoreless frames.
Willy Aybar had two hits and drove in a season-high three for the Rays, who have lost three of five. B.J. Upton, Matt Joyce and Reid Brignac all homered for Tampa Bay in defeat, and Lance Cormier (3-2) allowed the game-winning run to get saddled with the loss.
Some clutch hitting by the Rays put the visitors on top in the 12th.
Carlos Pena drew a one-out walk off Alfredo Simon and took off on an attempted hit-and-run with Gabe Kapler at the plate. Kapler swung through the pitch for strike three, but Craig Tatum's throw to second bounced into the outfield, allowing Pena to take third.
Aybar followed with an RBI single for a 10-9 lead.
Grant Balfour stayed out to start his third inning of work for Tampa Bay, but Corey Patterson doubled to send the Rays calling for more bullpen help. Dan Wheeler came in, but Wigginton's fly ball moved Patterson to third before Scott Moore's sacrifice fly tied the game.
After the Rays failed to put a runner in scoring position in the 13th, the Orioles won it in the home half.
“This was a game we should’ve won but we didn’t,” said Tampa manager Joe Maddon. “I give them credit -- they played very hard and they kept coming after us. I commend them for their competitive spirit.”
With Cormier on the mound, Cesar Izturis drew a leadoff walk. Felix Pie moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Lugo sent a single down the line in right to plate the game-winning run in Izturis.
A key error contributed to the Rays’ four-run sixth inning, which put Tampa Bay ahead for the first time.
Jason Bartlett doubled to start and moved to third on Pena's one-out single. A Jake Arrieta wild pitch put both runners on the move, with Bartlett's run cutting Tampa Bay's deficit to 4-3. Joyce followed with a walk, prompting Baltimore to insert Jason Berken from the bullpen.
Aybar greeted Berken with a ground ball to the first baseman Wigginton, who fired over to second. The throw was low and skipped away from the shortstop Izturis and into shallow left field, allowing Pena to score, Joyce to scamper to third and Aybar to second.
John Jaso promptly gave the Rays a 6-4 lead with a two-run single.
The Rays loaded the bases in the seventh off Berken and Will Ohman, and Aybar added a two-run, two-out single off Ohman to increase the margin to 8-4.
Baltimore put its first two batters on base in the seventh, and Tejada’s one- out double to right scored both runners to keep the Orioles within two.
Randy Choate relieved Garza following the double and allowed Scott's two-out RBI single to make it a one-run game, but Brignac provided Tampa Bay with some breathing room by blasting a one-out homer in the eighth for a 9-7 game.
Rafael Soriano took to the mound in the bottom of the ninth holding the same two-run lead, but the Orioles rallied to tie it.
Izturis began the frame with a single just past the outstretched glove of the second baseman Brignac, and Pie followed with a double to the gap in left center, sending Izturis to third.
Tejada lined a double down the left field line, scoring both runners for a 9-9 contest. The Orioles, however, were not able to push across the winning run in the inning.
The early portion of the game was a parade of solo homers, with the Orioles striking first with three straight longballs.
Leading off the second, Scott, Wigginton and Jones each went deep in succession to provide Baltimore with the lead. Upton came back with a solo shot in the third, only to be answered by Scott’s second blast of the night in the home half for a 4-1 game.
Joyce’s second homer of the year in the fourth cut the Rays’ deficit to two.
Scott finished with three hits and three RBI in his ninth career multi-homer game...The last Orioles trio to hit three consecutive home runs was Jeff Manto, Mark Smith and Brady Anderson...The Rays are 25-13 in intradivision games, while the Orioles are 10-31...The Orioles nearly doubled their run output from the previous four games combined (six)...Brignac has three homers in three games, accounting for half of his career total...Baltimore starter Arrieta gave up five runs on four hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings, while Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza yielded seven runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 frames...Despite a 30-63 record, the Orioles are 15-13 in one-run games.
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