BALTIMORE — Zack Littell and four relievers combined on a five-hit shutout, Jonny DeLuca hit a two-run homer and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 on Sunday.
Littell and Corbin Burnes were locked in a scoreless duel until the sixth inning, when DeLuca followed a leadoff walk with his sixth home run in 289 at-bats this season, a drive to left that barely cleared the wall.
''That 1-1 slider wasn't a bad pitch,'' Burnes insisted. ''He kind of went down and got it and put a good swing on it. That's the difference today.''
That was enough to outdo a struggling Baltimore offense that scored only three runs in the three-game series.
''I'm very encouraged about the pitching and the defense,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ''To be able to come away with two wins in a three-game set, we've got to be pleased.''
Especially the way things have gone lately. It's the Rays' first series win on the road since early August and the first time they won a series in Baltimore since Aug. 27-29, 2021.
The Orioles, meanwhile, are locked in a duel with the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL East. After taking two of three from the stumbling White Sox, Baltimore couldn't sustain the momentum against the sub-.500 Rays.
''We kind of go in stretches where it looks like we're coming out of it,'' Burnes said. ''Two steps forward, one step back. But we're still right there in the hunt. We know we're going to be a postseason team.''
