Orioles 10, Rays 6, 10 innings
BALTIMORE -- Matt Wieters belted a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Orioles a wild 10-6 victory over Tampa Bay in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday night before 13,986 at Camden Yards.
Nick Markakis started the winning rally with a leadoff single against Jamey Wright (0-1). Brandon Gomes came on to face Manny Machado. The third baseman tried to sacrifice Markakis to second, but his bunt rolled slowly up the first-base line and the Rays couldn't get him in time.
Adam Jones then lined a shot off the wall to deep right, Markakis got the stop sign coming around third and the Orioles were left with the bases loaded and none out. Wieters then ripped Gomes' first pitch deep into the seats in right center for the grand slam.
It was the first walkoff grand slam for Baltimore since Harold Baines did it on May 4, 1999, against the Chicago White Sox.
Troy Patton (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless 10th. Baltimore (8-7) came back three times, overcoming Tampa Bay leads of 3-0, 4-3 and 5-4.
The Orioles had taken a 6-5 lead on Steve Pearce's two-run homer off Jake McGee in the seventh. But Tampa Bay tied it on a James Loney blast against Darren O'Day in the top of the eighth, the Rays' fourth homer.
The Rays homered in the first inning in the first two games of the series and did it again.
Desmond Jennings belted his second leadoff homer of the series, hitting a 1-and-2 fastball into the left-field seats off Baltimore starter Miguel Gonzalez. Evan Longoria followed two outs later with a blast, giving the Rays a 2-0 lead just 12 pitches into the game.
Jennings helped again in the second when his sacrifice fly to left drove in Loney for a 3-0 lead.
Baltimore bounced back in the bottom of the inning, tying the score on a Chris Davis RBI single and Nolan Reimold's two-run homer.
But an Orioles error helped Tampa Bay go back in front in the third. Shortstop J.J. Hardy was trying to complete a double play, but his throw to first sailed high and off the glove of Gonzalez and into the seats. Matt Joyce scored to make it 4-3.
Machado tied it with his two-out double in the fifth. The shot to left center scored Alexi Casilla, but the Rays then caught Markakis in an inning-ending rundown.
NOTES: Reimold's homer was the first hit he had against Tampa Bay this season, Prior to that, Reimold was 0 for 7 against the Rays. ... The Orioles came into the game looking for solutions to their problems with designated hitters, who were just 3 for 47 (.064) this season. ... The Rays entered the series finale with an impressive 3.06 ERA during the first eight games of their road trip -- despite the fact that they had only a 2-6 record. It's the start of a stretch where the Rays will be playing 20 of 26 games on the road.
