Orioles held to 3 hits in 3-1 loss to Rays

BALTIMORE – Wei-Yin Chen pitched well enough to win. Unfortunately for the Baltimore Orioles, they couldn't generate enough offense to make it happen.

The Orioles managed only three hits and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

Jeremy Hellickson pitched into the seventh inning to earn his first win in 10 starts, and the Rays got a home run from light-hitting Brooks Conrad in a duel between AL East foes.

Hellickson outpitched Chen (8-6), who yielded three runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings. The Taiwanese left-hander issued three walks, and two of those runners came around to score.

"He deserved a little bit better fate. Their guy was real good, too," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Three hits is going to be tough to win many games."

Hellickson (5-6) gave up one run and three hits in 6 1-3 innings, striking out four and walking none. He was 0-6 since beating Boston on May 16, the second-longest losing streak by a Tampa Bay pitcher since the start of the 2008 season.

Asked if he was relieved to put the skid behind him, Hellickson replied, "Yeah, I am. ... It feels really good. A good team win tonight."

Jeff Keppinger had two hits and an RBI for the Rays, who were playing their first road game since the All-Star break. Tampa Bay made the most of six hits in bouncing back from two straight 2-1 defeats against Seattle.

Adam Jones hit his 23rd homer for the Orioles, who have lost two straight following a five-game winning streak. Baltimore has allowed three runs or fewer in seven straight games.

"We've had two in a row where our starter's gone out there and given us a great effort and give us a chance to win that game. That's all we can ask from them," said Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, who went 0-for-4. "Hopefully we can pick it up here and score some runs for those guys when they give us outings like that."

After Hellickson left, Jake McGee struck out the only two batters he faced and Joel Peralta worked a perfect eighth. In the ninth, Fernando Rodney got three outs around two walks to complete the three-hitter and pick up his 28th save in 29 tries.

Sam Fuld, activated off the 60-day disabled list by Tampa Bay before the game, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in his season debut. He had been sidelined since undergoing wrist surgery on April 3.

Tampa Bay went up 2-1 in the fifth when Fuld walked and Conrad homered with two outs. Conrad, the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, stepped to the plate with a .180 average and one homer in 50 at-bats.

"I hit a slider," Conrad said. "Shortened my swing up, ended up catching it out front and I got it pretty good."

Through an interpreter, Chen said, "That's the big mistake I made today. I think that's the first and only mistake I make today. I wanted to throw a slider. I had been able to locate a slider well today. That was higher (than I wanted) and he hit it well."

The Rays added a run in the sixth. B.J. Upton drew a leadoff walk, reached third with one out and scored on a bloop single by Keppinger.

Both starting pitchers were in control early. Neither team got a runner past first base until the fourth inning, when Jones hit a 1-1 fastball over the wall in center field. It was his third home run in 21 career at-bats against Hellickson.

"I hit it good," Jones said, "but it comes in a losing effort so it doesn't matter to me."

NOTES: After the game, Tampa Bay obtained INF Ryan Roberts from Arizona for Class AA infielder Tyler Bortnick. ... Tampa Bay took a 4-3 lead in the season series and improved to 124-123 all-time against Baltimore. ... Four of the team-high 18 homers allowed by Hellickson have been hit by the Orioles. ... Chen has given up eight home runs in his last seven starts after yielding only eight in his first 13 outings. ...... The Orioles fell to 34-16 in games decided by one or two runs. ... Rays LHP David Price will vie for his major league-leading 14th win on Wednesday night. Rookie Miguel Gonzalez (2-1) will start for Baltimore. ... Keppinger is batting .458 (27-for-59) against left-handers this season. ... The Orioles signed 25-year old Cuban outfielder Hentry Urrutia to a minor league contract. Urrutia, who played in the Cuban League from 2006-10, will be assigned to Double-A Bowie.