Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays Match Player Stats On Aug 18, 2021

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