Rays overcome 8-0 deficit in win vs. Orioles, tightening AL East race as Yankees suffer fifth straight loss

The Tampa Bay Rays continued their recent tear on Wednesday night, recovering from an early 8-0 deficit against the Baltimore Orioles to score a 12-8 victory (box score). In the process, the Rays improved their June record to 11-5 and, in concert with another New York Yankees loss, reduced the distance between those teams in the American League East to just 1 ½ games.

The Rays fell behind early on Wednesday, with the Orioles tagging starter Taj Bradley for seven runs (six of them earned) in the second inning. The Orioles would also score off reliever Kevin Kelly, staking themselves to an 8-0 lead. From there, the Rays would slowly but surely claw back into the game, scoring at least a run in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to tie the game at 8-8. 

Tampa Bay would then take the lead in the seventh on a series of hits by Junior Caminero, Joshua Lowe, and Jonathan Aranda. Just like that, the Rays had scored 12 unanswered runs.

According to CBS Sports’ research guru Doug Clawson, the Rays are the first team to win by at least four runs after trailing by eight or more since the 2018 Chicago Cubs did it against the Atlanta Braves. The Rays’ comeback also matches their franchise record.

Although the two teams finished with similar run totals, the Rays outhit the Orioles by an 18-7 margin on the evening. Tampa Bay had five different hitters record at least two knocks, including Caminero (four) and Aranda (three). 

The Rays are now 27-17 dating back to the start of May. This after entering May with a 14-16 record. 

The Yankees, meanwhile, did break their recent offensive skid by scoring a pair of runs. Nevertheless, they suffered a 3-2 defeat on Wednesday that dropped them to 7-9 in June and extended their losing streak to five consecutive games.