BALTIMORE — Brett Phillips capped his first career two-homer game with a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-6 Sunday for a three-game sweep.
After Orioles starter Jorge López flustered Tampa Bay’s potent offense for six innings, the AL East-leading Rays feasted on Baltimore’s shoddy bullpen to erase a 5-2 deficit and soar a season-high 24 games over .500 (68-44).
Phillips launched the comeback with a solo homer off Cole Sulser in the seventh, and Tampa Bay punished two more Orioles relievers in the eighth. Paul Fry (4-5) gave up a leadoff single and three straight walks to force in a run before Dillon Tate entered and allowed a sacrifice fly to pinch-hitter Yandy Díaz.
Tate then walked Manuel Margot to load the bases for Phillips, who sent a 1-2 pitch deep into the seats in left-center to make it 9-5.
JT Chargois (2-0) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of relief after starter Michael Wacha yielded five runs and 10 hits in five innings.
Tampa Bay is 11-1 against the last-place Orioles this season, outscoring them 94-48. At Camden Yards, the Rays are 6-0 with 63 runs and 19 homers.
Cedric Mullins homered on the first pitch from Wacha and Anthony Santander connected in the third inning to make it 4-1.
But that was not enough offense to overcome another ineffective performance by the Baltimore bullpen. The Orioles did, however, end this embarrassing streak: They had allowed at least 10 runs in their previous four games, the longest run since the team moved to Baltimore from St. Louis in 1954.
20-20
Mullins became the seventh Oriole to have 20 homers and 20 steals in a single season. The others: Paul Blair, Don Baylor, Reggie Jackson, Manny Machado, Jonathan Villar and Brady Anderson, who did it three times,
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: RH DJ Johnson dropped to the ground after throwing a pitch in the sixth inning and promptly left the game. The Rays called the injury “right shoulder discomfort.” … OF Kevin Kiermaier wasn’t in the starting lineup after leaving Saturday night’s game with right knee discomfort. He was available off the bench.
Orioles: OF/1B Ryan Mountcastle was placed on the seven-day concussion IL, retroactive to Saturday. “He’s feeling a lot better today. He’s trending in the right direction,” manager Brandon Hyde said. … LHP Alexander Wells was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. … C Pedro Severino was given the day off after bruising his right knee Saturday night.
UP NEXT
Rays: Following a day off Monday, Tampa Bay opens a three-game series at Fenway Park against the second-place Boston Red Sox. When the teams last met July 30-Aug. 1, the Rays won all three games to move atop the AL East.
Orioles: After taking Monday off, the Orioles begin a three-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers.
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