Orioles extend Rays' skid to 4 with 5-4 win in 11 innings

BALTIMORE (AP) — Pinch-hitter Pat Valaika singled in the winning run in the 11th inning, and the Baltimore Orioles beat Tampa Bay 5-4 Saturday night to extend the Rays' losing streak to four games.

Newcomer Brian Holaday scored the deciding run after making a sensational diving catch in the top of the 11th to start an inning-ending double play. Holaday was added to the roster to replace Richard Bleier, who was traded after midnight on Saturday.

Holaday advanced from second to third on a sacrifice bunt off Oliver Drake (0-2), and with two outs came home on Valaika's opposite-field liner to right off Chaz Roe.

Travis Lakins (1-0) pitched the 11th to earn his first major league win.

With a victory Sunday, Baltimore will have its first series sweep since taking three from Toronto in August 2018.

Coming off a playoff appearance in 2019, the Rays opened this abbreviated season with a 4-1 record before losing two in Atlanta and two to the lowly Orioles, who lost 115 games in 2018 and 108 last year.

Tampa Bay trailed 4-1 in the eighth before mounting a rally fueled by a pivotal throwing error.

After Orioles reliever Shawn Armstrong snagged a comebacker and threw past second base on a potential double-play ball, the Rays got an RBI single from Joe Martinez, a run-scoring grounder by pinch-hitter Brandon Lowe and a pinch-hit RBI single from Kevin Kiermaier.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

The Orioles opened the home portion of their season Wednesday against the Yankees instead of the Marlins, who went into quarantine Monday after several players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19.

Now, Baltimore faces another schedule change: Miami is slated to return to action Tuesday night at Camden Yards for a four-game series over three days. Two of the games will make up for the Marlins'...

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