Tampa Bay's Ryan Yarbrough returned from the injured list by firing five stellar innings of relief in the Rays' 8-4 win Wednesday over Baltimore, stretching the Orioles' losing streak to a season-high-tying 14 games in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Just activated from the COVID-related IL, the lefty Yarbrough (7-4) took over in the second and retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced in his first outing since his Aug. 6 start. He allowed one hit and fanned three in his 70-pitch effort.
Rookie Wander Franco reached base safely in his 20th straight game by going 3-for-4 with a double, walk and two RBIs.
Ji-Man Choi posted two hits and two RBIs for the Rays, who moved to 14-1 against Baltimore and beat the Orioles for the eighth straight time.
Tampa Bay's Louis Head worked as the opener and allowed two runs on three hits in his one inning -- all while striking out the side.
Baltimore's Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle slugged solo homers, and Maikel Franco went 2-for-4 with a double.
Spenser Watkins (2-5) tossed four innings and yielded eight hits and four runs. The right-hander lost his fifth straight start.
Mullins jumped on an 0-2 slider down in the zone, ripping his 21st long ball to right-center. Pedro Severino's RBI single gave the Orioles a quick two-run lead.
After two singles and a walk against Watkins loaded the bases in the Rays' first, Choi knocked in two with a single to right, but he was tagged out trying to advance to end the busy frame.
The Rays grabbed their first lead in the fourth when Brandon Lowe cued a two-out single just over third to score Joey Wendle, who had doubled and moved to third on a long flyout. Lowe scored for a 4-2 lead on Wander Franco's double after Lowe stole second.
Tampa Bay blew it open in a three-run sixth on Wander Franco's RBI single -- the frame's only hit -- and sacrifice flies by Nelson Cruz and Austin Meadows for a 7-2 advantage. Two of the runs were unearned following a leadoff fielding error by second baseman Ramon Urias.
Austin Wynns singled in a run in the seventh, and Mountcastle popped his 20th deep shot in the eighth.
Meadows responded by slicing an RBI ground-rule double that bounced off the left-field foul pole.
--Field Level Media