BALTIMORE — Nick Martinez has been encouraging his Rays teammates to keep their energy up, their anxiety down and their focus on playing as they have been, assuring them they’ll get through their latest skid and back to their winning form.
Sunday afternoon, the veteran right-hander took the mound and showed them the way, tossing six sterling innings in a 3-1 win over the Orioles that the Rays hope, after losing seven of their last nine, is the start of a better stretch of baseball.
At the least, they halted a three-game skid, improved their American League-leading record to 77-53 and maintained a three-game East division lead over the Yankees, who defeated Toronto on Sunday.
Martinez improved to 13-4 and held the O’s — who had beaten up the Rays in topping them five times in six games over the last two weekends — to one baserunner (allowing a third-inning double to Colton Cowser) in getting the other 18 batters he faced out.
Relievers Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly and Bryan Baker took it from there, though Baker did allow a leadoff homer to Cowser while a Junior Caminero throwing error put another runner in scoring position. Baker converted his 26th consecutive save and MLB-leading 37th overall.
The Rays got their runs from a two-out rally in the sixth off former teammate Shane Baz.
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Yandy Diaz, as he has done so many times, got them started with a single, then went to third on a single by Jonathan Aranda. That mattered because Baz, while facing Caminero, bounced a pitch, allowing Diaz to race home.
Caminero followed with a single that scored Aranda and, after Liam Hicks walked to load the bases, Chandler Simpson greeted lefty reliever Grant Wolfram with a single to increase the lead to 3-0.
Baz (4-14) gave up three runs and five hits. The hard-luck righty is 0-8 in 12 starts since June 12, in part because the Orioles have provided him only 15 runs of support in those dozen outings.
The Rays also flashed some of their typically dazzling defense, with right fielder Jonny DeLuca making a pair of highlight-worthy catches.
Up next
The Rays left after the game for Detroit, where they open a three-game series against the Tigers on Monday night. Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen (13-5, 3.01 ERA) is scheduled to start. The Orioles have Monday off before Chris Bassitt (4-4, 5.08) starts in St. Louis on Tuesday night.
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