The Orioles beat the Rays 6-1 on Tuesday night, and Samuel Basallo gave the night its loudest swing. Basallo hit a three-run homer, retook the team lead in OPS at.810 and helped Baltimore turn a tight game into a comfortable win at Camden Yards.
Shane Baz did enough to keep Tampa Bay close for a while. He allowed one run and struck out nine over seven innings, continuing a sharp run that has lowered his season ERA from 5.48 on May 9 to 4.48 after three good starts in a row. Over those three outings, Baz has allowed five total runs in 20 innings, a stretch that suggests the right-hander is settling in even as the Orioles kept hitting around him.
Baltimore answered with the kind of offense it has needed all month. The Orioles scored five or more runs in all four of their wins during a four-out-of-five stretch, and Tuesday’s victory gave them a second straight series win. Colton Cowser added another hit and a walk, Jackson Holliday went 2-for-3, and the lineup again did enough to back a staff that has been steadier of late.
The bullpen finished the job with two scoreless innings. That mattered because the relief group has been trying to move past a rough first half of May, and over the last week or so the Orioles bullpen has been much better after that stretch. Ryan Helsley should be back in the next couple of weeks, which gives Baltimore another arm to look for as it tries to keep that progress going.
The Orioles are still playing from behind in the standings. They are 25-30, but they remain just 1.5 games out of the final wild card spot, a margin that keeps the season from slipping out of view. The Minnesota Twins held that last spot at 27-28, so Baltimore’s margin for error remains thin even after a win that showed how quickly the club can put pressure on teams in front of it.
There is also a roster move hanging over the team while it sorts out the next few days. Dietrich Enns was designated for assignment and is in DFA limbo while the Orioles figure out what is next. Heston Kjerstad is the only injured Orioles player mentioned as possibly close to a return, though the club could decide to leave him in Triple-A rather than bring him back immediately.
That makes the present both encouraging and unfinished. The Orioles have found enough offense to win, enough pitching to close, and enough momentum to stay in the race, but they are still waiting on reinforcements and still have to prove this run is more than a short burst. For now, Tuesday was another night when Baltimore looked like a club capable of climbing back if it keeps doing the simple things well.
