A Night of Comebacks, Mark Reynolds and a Bullpen Implosion: Orioles Lose to Rays

What a frustrating Saturday night to have watched a ballgame.

The Orioles, after coming back against tough lefty David Price, saw Kevin Gregg blow yet another save and saw the Tampa Bay Rays defeat them in eleven innings, 7-5.

They are now 30-32 on the season and are seven games behind first-place Boston in the American League East. Their four-game win streak was snapped as well. The bullpen was ineffective on the night and imploded at times when the game mattered the most.

Jeremy Accardo could not keep the Rays to 5-5 tie in the eleventh inning. Evan Longoria’s RBI-single gave Tampa Bay a 6-5 lead, and then they added an insurance run off Casey Kotchman’s double.

Baltimore could not rally against closer Kyle Farnsworth, who earned his 14th save. Juan Cruz – who pitched 2/3 of an inning in the tenth – got the win.

For the Rays, Kotchman destroyed the Orioles with four hits and two runs driven in. Evan Longoria had three hits and drove in three runs.

The Orioles got an excellent night from the suddenly formidable Mark Reynolds, who hit two home runs off David Price. He drove in three, plus helped engineer Baltimore’s comeback with a solo shot in the sixth inning to give them a 4-3 lead.

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