TAMPA, Florida. Ryan Pepiot shined from the mound by establishing his season-best with 11 strikeouts, and the Tampa Bay Rays dominated the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 on the night of Monday, June 16, at Tropicana Field.
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Pepiot (4-6), who made his fifteenth start of the year, threw 98 pitches in six innings of total control. He allowed only four hits and one earned run, falling one strikeout short of tying his personal record.
The reliever also responded: Forrest Whitley made his debut with the Rays in the ninth inning and retired the three batters he faced, extending Tampa Bay’s bullpen’s scoreless streak to 16 and two-thirds innings.
In the offensive, Jake Mangum was key, batting 4-3 with three RBIs. Mangum, who hit two infield singles and a double, raised his average to .304 with 14 RBIs in his last 15 games.
The Rays scored a run in each of the first five innings. Josh Lowe opened the game with his first leadoff home run of the year, and Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his 14th of the campaign, to extend the lead to 5-1.
Baltimore, which came from scoring 11 runs against the Angels on Sunday, could not replicate that offensive power and fell for the fifth time in their last 16 games. Starter Zach Eflin (6-3) took the loss after allowing 12 hits and seven earned runs in five innings.
Adley Rutschman provided the Orioles’ only run with his eighth home run of the year in the fourth inning.
Outstanding performance by Latinos:
- Rays: Jonathan Aranda (Mexico) 3-2 with a run; Junior Caminero (D.R.) 4-2 with a run; Christopher Morel (D.R.) 4-2 with an RBI; Yandy Díaz (Cuba) 4-1 with a run; José Caballero (Panama) 4-0.
- Orioles: Ramón Urías (Mexico) 3-0.
With this triumph, the Rays add their fourth consecutive victory and hold a solid 19-6 record in their last 25 games. In addition, they have won the last eight games in which they open a series.
