Baltimore, MD – Matt Wieters hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to give the Baltimore Orioles a 10-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays to cap a three-game series.
With Jamey Wright (0-1) on the mound, Nick Markakis led off with a single and Brandon Gomes took over on the hill.
Manny Machado then laid down a bunt that rolled along the first-base line and reached base safely as Jose Molina waited to see if it would roll foul. Adam Jones then hit a long fly ball to right that bounced off the wall and loaded the bases before Wieters drilled the first pitch he saw over the wall for the win.
"We gave up some runs early and we knew it was going to be a dog fight," said Wieters. "It always is when you play Tampa and you just got keep battling away no matter what the score."
It was also the 17th straight win in extra innings for the Orioles, which includes 16 games from last season. It is the longest such streak since the Pittsburgh Pirates won 21 in a row in extras from June 1959-July 1960.
Steve Pearce and Nolan Reimold each hit a two-run home run while Machado and Chris Davis drove in a run each for the Orioles, who have alternated wins and losses over their past six games.
Miguel Gonzalez pitched 5 2/3 innings in the start, giving up five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits. Troy Patton (1-0) got the win for pitching a scoreless 10th inning.
"Baltimore outplayed us in this series," said Tampa manager Joe Maddon. "They kept coming back and we kept coming back, but they were beating us in the end and I have to give them credit."
Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, James Loney and Molina all went deep for the Rays, who have lost five of six. David Price gave up five runs on eight hits with six strikeouts over six innings in the start.
Solo home runs from Jennings and Longoria got the Rays off to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and Jennings added a sacrifice fly in the second for a 3-0 lead.
Baltimore got back into the game in the second as Wieters led off with a double and came home when Davis singled. Reimold hit his second home run of the season later in the frame to make it a 3-3 game.
Tampa went back on top in the third as Matt Joyce singled with one out and Shelley Duncan followed with a walk. Loney then hit a grounder and Duncan was forced out at second, but the throw to first by J.J. Hardy was wild and Joyce scored for a 4-3 lead.
In the Baltimore fifth, Alexi Casilla doubled with two outs and Markakis followed with a single. Manny Machado's hit to left easily scored Casilla, but Markakis was caught in a run down and tagged out to end the inning.
Molina, though, gave Tampa the lead back in the sixth with a two-out, solo homer to left-center for a 5-4 advantage.
In the seventh, Baltimore took its first lead of the game as Pearce hit a two- run home run, but Loney hit his first round-tripper of the year in the eighth to tie the game.
Game Notes
It was Baltimore's first game-ending grand slam since Harold Baines turned the trick on May 4, 1999 against the Chicago White Sox ... Baltimore starts a three-game set at home against the Dodgers on Friday ... The Rays host the Athletics for a three-game series on Friday ... Tampa Bay went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while Baltimore was 6- for-7 with RISP and left just three on base.
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