Rays 2, Orioles 5: Alex Jackson’s first homer of the season is not enough to avoid 4-game sweep

Pepiot allows 4 ER in 6 innings pitched, and the Rays extend their losing streak to 4 

The Rays and Orioles are squaring up for the seventh time this season. So far, the Orioles lead the season series 5-1 averaging 5.8 runs per game, meanwhile, the Rays only have 15 runs combined in the 6 previous matchups. Today, the newly acquired Corbin Burnes will face the Rays for the first time as a Baltimore Oriole. On the other side, the exciting young arm Ryan Pepiot will try to end the Rays’ 3-game skid. The offense whoos, and Burnes on the hill are not good indicators for today’s game, but baseball can sometimes surprise you in many ways.

The fun didn’t even last one pitch. As the first pitch of the game is a center cut fastball Gunnar Henderson takes 430 feet to straightaway center field, and just like that the O’s take the lead. Pepiot had trouble settling himself in the first inning, he allowed a couple more hits but escaped the jam thanks to a nice double play.

The Rays started off the inning with the right foot with two men on base and on out. However, Paredes got caught looking on a questionable call (awful if you are a Rays fan) by the umpire. With two men in scoring position, Rosario swung and missed at a 97 MPH middle-middle fastball. Burnes gets out of trouble and hangs his first zero of the night.

In the second inning, Jordan Westburg’s dropped pop-up allowed Caballero to reach first base with two outs. Moments later, the impossible happened. Believe it or not, Alex Jackson went deep!!! Jackson’s hit destroyed a baseball that was a well-placed cutter on the outside part of the plate. Jackson just hit his 3rd hit of the season in 47 at-bats. The Rays take the lead for the first time in this four game series.

The lead lasted approximately two minutes, as James McCann took a slider to the left field seats, Orioles tied it at two. After the homer, Pepiot pitched a clean inning with two punchouts and a fly ball.

Both starters pitched a clean 4th inning. Their two best pitches respectively seem to have found a better version. Ryan Pepiot’s fastball is getting the whiffs on the top of the zone, and on the other hand, Burnes’ cutter is starting to find the edges of the zone.

Back-to-back miss plays from the Rays put man in the corners with one out to open the fifth inning. Then, two terrific changes up helped Pepiot strike out Westburg with the go-ahead run standing at third. However, the next batter, Ryan O’Hearn had other plans. He lined a ball off the foul line two men came to the plate, Orioles lead 4-2.

Nothing for the Rays in the last 7 innings of the game; not even a serious threat on the bases. The game ends with a final score of 5-2. Another terrible performance for the offense. The Rays cannot find a way to hit or score, and that is not a favorable formula to win games at the major league level.

The struggling Chicago Cubs will come to town to face the Rays for a 3 game series. The Rays will try to take game one which has been a difficult task this year. the Rays are 7-14 in series openers in 2024. The first pitch is scheduled at 6:50 ET.