Evan Longoria homered and drove in five runs, and the last-place Tampa Bay Rays again played the spoiler's role in a 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.
The loss stalled the Orioles' bid to enhance their position in the playoff picture. Baltimore started the day trailing AL East-leading Boston by one game and holding a one-game lead over Toronto for the top wild-card spot.
Tampa Bay has won three straight, including the last two of a three-game series in Toronto. The Rays also defeated the wild-card contending Yankees on Sunday.
Longoria hit his career high-tying 33rd homer with two on in the first inning and added a two-run single in the fourth to increase his team-high RBI total to 91.
Coming off a 6-3 road trip culminated with two successive wins in Boston, the Orioles fell flat against a team they dominated for much of the season. Baltimore is now 11-5 against Tampa Bay, 6-1 at home.
Alex Colome worked the ninth for his 33rd save. After the Orioles got runners at first and third with one out, the right-hander struck out major league home run leader Mark Trumbo and slugger Chris Davis.
Baltimore went 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position.
Although the temperature was a comfortable 72 degrees and the Orioles are in the midst of a playoff push, the game attracted an announced crowd of only 19,233.
Longoria put the Rays up 3-0 before Yovani Gallardo (5-8) got an out. Baltimore answered in the bottom half with a two-run single by Matt Wieters and a two-run double by J.J. Hardy.
Tampa Bay pulled even in the second, went ahead in the third and used Longoria's two-run single to make it 7-4 in the fourth.
When Orioles manager Buck Showalter emerged from the dugout to pull Gallardo in the fourth, many of the hometown fans cheered. They subsequently booed the right-hander as he walked toward the dugout.
Gallardo gave up six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. In 21 starts this season, he's surrendered 21 earned runs in the first inning.
Baltimore's Nolan Reimold hit into a double play with runners on the corners in the fourth. The Rays worked out of an even bigger jam in the fifth, retiring Manny Machado, Trumbo and Davis with runners at second and third.
Brad Boxberger (4-1) got the last two outs in the fifth.
Run-scoring groundouts by Hardy and Michael Borne made it 7-6 in the eighth.
Tampa Bay avoided being eliminated from playoff contention, but a Toronto victory against the Angels later Thursday would mathematically end the Rays' chances of reaching the postseason.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: 1B Nick Franklin left in the fifth inning with a left hamstring strain. ... 1B Logan Morrison will get a second opinion on whether surgery is required for his season-ending left wrist injury. Morrison was injured while taking a swing Sunday and received an MRI this week.
Orioles: OF Steve Pearce will be sidelined until the final week of the season, maybe longer, after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his throwing arm Wednesday. ... RHP Darren O'Day (rotator cuff strain) will throw a simulated game Friday.
UP NEXT
Rays: Chris Archer (8-18, 4.05 ERA) starts Friday night, seeking to pad his AL-leading strikeout total of 217. He also hopes to avoid setting the franchise record for losses in a season. The right-hander is currently tied with Tanyon Sturtze, who lost 18 in 2002.
Orioles: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (7-11, 5.98) strives to win his fourth straight start. He's got a 2.83 ERA in his last four outings.
