Orioles 6, Rays 7: Kiermaier, Franklin, and Dickerson power Rays to victory.

The game this afternoon and early evening is something you see happen when rosters expand. A lot of runs were scored, but constant changing of relievers afford managers to make as many changes as their hearts desire. Even more so for a manager like Buck Showalter where every win or loss is crucial.

Innings 1-4: Both starters get roughed up and last 3.2 innings. Tied 5-5.

Drew Smyly got off to a good start with a ten pitch first inning. He sat down Adam Jones, Michael Bourn, and Manny Machado.

The second inning wasn’t as kind to Smyly as Mark Trumbo led off with a single. Steve Pearce followed with a walk. After a strike out by Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy lined a double that Kevin Kiermaier tracked down after two runs scored. Drew Stubbs followed with an infield single, but Smyly limited the damage by inducing two fly balls to Kiermaier in shallow center field. Smyly threw two wild pitches.

The third inning started with a homer by Michael Bourn, because that’s Drew Smyly’s thing. Jones and Machado sandwiched singles around a walk to load the bases with no outs. Luke Maile allowed a passed ball to score the second run of the inning. Schoop hit a sacrifice fly. Hardy and Stubbs hit infield fly balls to end the threat, but not before putting up five by the end of three innings.

Smyly started the fourth by getting two quick outs including a strikeout of Jones. Smyly wouldn’t last the inning after he walked Bourn and allowed a single to Machado. Ryan Garton ended the two out rally by inducing an infield fly ball from Trumbo.

Smyly left the game after allowing five runs, four earned over 3.2 innings. He allowed seven hits (one homer) and three walks while striking out two.

The Rays offense however wouldn’t leave Smyly as the pitcher of record. In the first inning Kevin Kiermaier absolutely destroyed a baseball to put the Rays up 1-0 with a 425 foot blast.

In the second inning Mikie Mahtook started the threat with a one out single and Nick Franklin cranked a two run blast to end the rally as the very next batter.

In the fourth inning Mahtook once again started a rally with a single. Franklin followed with a walk ahead of Corey Dickerson hitting a grounder to first base that was hit weakly enough to move the runners up to second and third with one out. Maile struck out before Logan Forsythe loaded the bases with another walk. Kiermaier battled a full count before lining an outside pitch over the infielders to score two and tie the game at five.

Dylan Bundy was pulled after 3.2 innings and allowing five earned runs on seven hits (two homers) and two walks while striking out seven batters.

Innings 5-9. Bullpens do work, but Rays bats prevail. Rays 7-6.

The fifth inning saw teams trade runs to tie the game at six. Ryan Garton allowed an RBI single to Drew Stubbs after a one out double to Schoop to score the sixth run and final run for the Orioles.

The Rays struck back quickly. A one out walk by Logan Morrison was moved to third two batters later with a single by Franklin. Dickerson came through with the big hit as he lined a single to right field to tie the game at six.

Kevin Jepsen worked a clean 1-2-3 top of the sixth, but the Rays would only manage a walk by Kiermaier in the bottom half of the inning.

Brad Boxberger followed with a solid outing as he allowed only a two out single to Schoop.

In the bottom of the seventh Mikie Mahtook picked up his third single of the game ahead of Dickerson going down to one knee and belted a double to the left-center field gap just outside of Jones’ glove to put the Rays up 7-6. The Rays were fortunate there were two outs as Mahtook didn’t have to worry about the ball being caught.

Danny Farquhar entered in the top of the eighth and pitched his highest leverage situation I can remember with the Rays. He started the inning off with a walk to Stubbs. Caleb Joseph followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Stubbs into scoring position. Farquhar would come up with two big strikeouts of Jones and Bourn on six pitches (four swinging).

Alex Colome came in to close out the victory. He started off by getting Machado out on strikes. Trumbo followed with a grounder to short for out number two. Pedro Alvarez stepped in as a pinch hitter for Pearce and struck out swinging.

Both teams had plenty of opportunities to put up many more runs. The Orioles left eight on the bases and the Rays left ten. Solid all around effort after the starters got roughed up. In the final four innings the Rays relievers allowed only one single and one walk while striking out five.