Rays again come from behind to beat Orioles - Tampa Bay Times

BALTIMORE — Obviously, Joey Wendle said, the Rays would rather be ahead late in games.

But, with Saturday night the latest example, it’s also quite clear how little they sweat being behind and how much confidence they have in coming back.

Down three runs going to the seventh inning, the Rays calmly and confidently rallied to beat the Orioles 4-3, the 40th time, in 81 wins overall, they came back to end up shaking hands.

“At this point,” Wendle said, “we have so many come-from-behind wins that there is a little bit of a feeling of that, and we do have confidence in our chances of winning even if we’re down heading into the late innings.”

Wendle and Austin Meadows had a hand in getting the Rays close, as they got two runs in the seventh to cut the deficit to 3-2. Then, Randy Arozarena delivered the game-winner in the eighth with a two-run homer, the 13th time Tampa Bay came back when trailing after six.

“We’re a very aggressive team, and we never stop until that last out is made,” Arozarena said via team interpreter Manny Navarro. “We’re a very dedicated team, and we’re out here to win every single time so that we can make our way into the playoffs.”

They took another step in that direction by winning for the sixth straight time and 10th in their last 11 games, improving their American League-best record to 81-48 and expanding their East division lead to five games over the Yankees, whose 13-game winning streak ended in Oakland.

Besides their overall attitude and a “what, us worry?” approach, there are some other reasons the Rays have been so good at scoring late, posting a majors-most 260 runs (of 684 overall, 38 percent) from the seventh inning on, starting with how manager Kevin Cash assembles the lineup and uses his players.

“We oftentimes get good matchups late in games because of the way our roster’s built and the flexibility we have there,” Wendle said. “That certainly helps us out a lot. I’ve said it once, and I’ll continue to say it: Any day, it could be any player on our team. That’s so true.

“You look down, one through nine, and it could be anybody that day, or any of the four guys on the bench. I think we all have a lot of confidence in each other, and as we get later into the game, maybe we start to focus a little bit more. Or maybe it’s just that guys are running their third and fourth at-bat up there and seeing the ball a little bit better.”

For any, or all, of those reasons it has worked, especially against the Orioles. Tampa Bay has come from behind to beat Baltimore 10 times this season, and 17 of 18 overall, with the finale on Sunday.

Starter Michael Wacha gave the Rays another encouraging, albeit abbreviated, outing. He worked into the fifth, allowing three hits with a run scoring after he left. “Really good,” Cash said. “Couldn’t be more impressed with the way he performed.”

The Orioles added two more against reliever Adam Conley, giving them a 3-0 lead and putting them right where the Rays wanted them.

Hits by Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe with one out in the seventh ended starter John Means’ night and started the Rays’ comeback. Meadows came off the bench to deliver one run with a groundout, and Wendle followed with a pinch-hit double.

After Kevin Kiermaier drew a leadoff walk in the eighth, Arozarena said he had only one thing in mind, which he delivered — his 17th home run of the season and eighth against the Orioles, against whom he is hitting .452 in 12 games.

“My only plan, the only plan I want, is to just hit a home run. And I never change that,” Arozarena said. “Always. Whether it happens or not, I don’t have full control of that. But I’m going to at least try for it.”

• • •

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