BALTIMORE (AP) — Ryan Mountcastle hit his seventh and eighth home runs and the Baltimore Orioles slugged their way to a 9-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
Mountcastle drove in four runs in first multi-home run game of the season and his ninth of his career. The Orioles hit four homers and scored nine runs in 3 1/3 innings against Rays starter Taj Bradley (1-3).
“When he doesn’t try to do too much, and uses his middle-of-the-field approach, he’s a special hitter,” manager Brandon Hyde said about Mountcastle, who is 17 of his last 37 from the plate. “And you saw that today.”
Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg also connected in the Orioles’ third straight victory and eighth in nine games.
Jacob Webb (1-3) pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings in relief of Kyle Bradish, who retired only eight batters in his shortest start of the season.
Dillion Tate, Cionel Perez, Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin finished off 6 1/3 scoreless bullpen frames in the victory that gave Baltimore its 19th consecutive series without a loss against AL East opponents.
“Those guys kind of saved the game for us,” Westburg said.
Yandy Diaz drove in three runs on a triple and a bases-loaded walk for Tampa Bay, which haslost two straight to open a five-game trip.
Rays manager Kevin Cash was ejected by plate umpire Chad Fairchild in the third inning, his first this year after Jose Siri received his second ejection after striking out in the ninth inning Friday night in a 3-1 loss.
“Chad’s a really good umpire, maybe one of the best,” Cash explained afterward. “Just a little bit of disagreement on some of the calls.”
Mountcastle’s twin two-run shots bookended Bradley’s shortest start since he was re-instated from the 15-day injured list last month.
Mountcastle’s first-inning shot got over the right-center field wall beyond Siri’s leap, before Santander followed with a drive down the line that landed on Eutaw Street and put Baltimore in front 3-0.
There was far less doubt on Mountcastle’s second, a fourth-inning drive well over the 410-foot marker in almost dead center that finished the scoring for both teams.
“Credit their lineup for sure,” Cash said. “And Taj just probably didn’t have quite the finish to some of his pitches. But that’s going to happen at times.”
TRAINERS ROOM
Rays: LHP Jeffrey Spriggs (Tommy John surgery) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session in Florida, his first since he exited a rehab assignment outing on May 25 with a lat issue.
Orioles: Westberg (right hand/wrist) returned to the lineup after missing two games.
UP NEXT
Orioles left-hander Cole Irvin looks for his sixth consecutive win as a starter Sunday in the series finale against Rays righty Zack Littell.
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