BALTIMORE _ Coming off a winless road trip, the Orioles returned to Camden Yards this week in need of a bright spot. Instead, Jonathan Villar provided an irradiant inferno.
Villar's fifth home run of the seven-game homestand was part of an all-around offensive effort in the Orioles' 8-3 victory over the Tampa Rays on Sunday and was his career-high 20th of the season, making him the franchise's first player with at least 20 homers and 20 steals in a season since Manny Machado in 2015.
Villar achieved the feat, becoming the sixth Oriole to do so with Brady Anderson having three 20-20 seasons, by homering in each of the past three games, continuing a surge that has been ongoing for the past month. But he was far from the only offensive contributor as the Orioles (43-88) earned a series split with the Rays and a winning homestand.
Anthony Santander's five-hit day included a seventh-inning home run. Renato Nunez and DJ Stewart had three hits each. The trio made up the middle third of the Orioles' lineup and combined to go 11-for-13 with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs.
The output came in front of an announced crowd of 13,287 and backed right-hander Dylan Bundy, who held the Rays (76-56) to three runs (two earned) in five innings.
Sunday marked the last day of Players' Weekend, which meant it was the last day Nunez got to have "Rey," Spanish for "king," and a crown emoji on the black jersey he was wearing.
He savored the nickname one last time, getting the Orioles' on the board with the last of the team's three straight two-out singles in the first. He capitalized with two outs again in the third, doubling in a pair of runs and scoring on Stewart's subsequent single.
The run-scoring hit was part of a strong homestand for Stewart. He added a double in the fifth, coming inches shy of his first home run of 2019, and made a couple strong defensive plays in right field.
Stewart went 11-for-24 during the Orioles' seven-game stay at Camden Yards.
After Santander's infield single in the eighth made him 5-for-5, Chris Davis flew out to right as a pinch-hitter for Nunez, who suffered an apparent leg injury running the bases in the seventh.
Shortly after continuing his season-long trend of getting hits off lefties, Hanser Alberto exited Sunday's game with head and neck discomfort.
Alberto's third-inning single off Jalen Beeks was his 70th hit off a left-hander, the most by an Oriole since 1998. He then took off for second on a ball in the dirt, with catcher Mike Zunino recovering in time to get to the ball and throw down. Second baseman Eric Sogard had to come off the bag to make the catch, with his knee colliding with Alberto's head in the process.
Alberto was initially called safe but ruled out after a replay review. Rio Ruiz replaced him at third base in the top of the fourth.
Alberto's hit off Beeks was his 56th single against a left-hander, the most in the majors since New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter had 56 in 2012. Alberto's .402 average off left-handed pitching leads the majors.
Orioles pitching coach Doug Brocail was ejected for the second time this season in Sunday's fifth inning for arguing a check-swing call with first-base umpire John Bacon. Including his time as a player, it was Brocail's 10th career ejection.
The disagreement came amid a long frame for Bundy, with the Rays scoring twice after managing only one unearned run through his first four innings. The inning was Bundy's last as he left with his ERA lowered to 4.98. With the exception of Ty Blach's seven-run, four-inning outing Friday, the Orioles' starting pitchers had a 2.38 ERA in a homestand in which Baltimore won four of seven games.
Miguel Castro, Paul Fry and Mychal Givens combined for four scoreless innings to end the victory.
