BALTIMORE — The Rays have made quite a habit of rallying late in games this season, especially against the Orioles, and they did it again Saturday.
Randy Arozarena’s two-run homer in the eighth capped their latest comeback, as they turned a three-run, seventh-inning deficit into a 4-3 victory.
It was the major league-leading 40th come-from-behind win for the Rays and their 10th against the Orioles, who they have beaten 17 of 18 times this season, with the series finale on Sunday.
More importantly, in winning for the sixth straight time and 10th in their past 11 games, the Rays improved their American League-best record to 81-48 and expanded their East division lead to five games over the Yankees, whose 13-game winning streak ended in Oakland.
The Rays were down 3-0 in the seventh when hits by Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe started a rally, and a groundout by pinch-hitter Austin Meadows and a double by pinch-hitter Joey Wendle got them two runs.
They got two more in the eighth, when Kevin Kiermaier led off with a walk and Arozarena drilled a homer that hit just above the top of the right-field wall. It was Arozarena’s 17th homer of the season and eighth against the Orioles.
The Rays now have scored a majors-most 260 runs from the seventh inning on.
With Rays starter Michael Wacha and Baltimore lefty John Means working effectively, the game was scoreless into the fifth, when the Orioles took a 1-0 lead.
Pedro Severino led off with a double to right, and a one-out walk to No. 9 hitter Kelvin Gutierrez ended Wacha’s night. Reliever Adam Conley didn’t help matters, hitting leadoff man Cedric Mullins to load the bases, moving Severino to third. That hurt when Ryan Mountcastle’s drive to left was caught at the wall by Arozarena and Severino tagged up.
The Orioles extended their lead to 3-0 against Conley in the sixth, with some questionable play by the Rays’ usually smooth outfield.
First, pinch-hitter Austin Hays lined a ball to right that got over the head of Manuel Margot and caromed off the wall for a triple. After Ramon Urias walked, Severino lined a ball to left that Arozarena appeared to break the wrong way on and ended up with an RBI double. A single by Jorge Mateo made it 3-0.
The Rays finally broke through in the seventh against Means. Diaz singled with one out and Lowe doubled. The Orioles went to right-hander Dillon Tate, and the Rays went to the bench for lefties Meadows and Wendle.
Meadows got the first run home with a groundout to the right side, Wendle the second with a double to left.
Wacha gave the Rays a solid, albeit abbreviated start, allowing only three hits over 4 1/3 innings, though he was charged with the first Orioles run.
