Cam Sanders saves second straight game as Orioles beat Rays in 10 innings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Orioles might have found something in Cam Sanders, this right-handed reliever with a slow heartbeat.

They threw him in the fire last month in Houston, and he came through for an extra-innings save. They threw him in the fire Friday night with the winning run on base and two outs in the ninth inning, and he recorded the save. They threw him in the fire at Tropicana Field again Saturday, this time to protect a one-run lead in the 10th inning.

And he secured the save, closing out a 4-3 victory for the Orioles against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sanders stranded two runners and earned his third save in just his sixth appearance since the Orioles acquired him in a cash trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It will take these sorts of gutsy performances for the Orioles to make this season something to remember.

“He’s ready for it,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Getting DFA’d [designated for assignment], jumping on with us and getting an opportunity, it can go one of two ways, and he’s going the way of seizing the opportunity and taking full advantage of it.”

Given the way this season has gone on the whole, it’s almost hard to believe this next sentence. But as of the final out, with more games still to be played across Major League Baseball, the Orioles moved into a five-way tie for the final American League wild-card spot.

That is the case despite Baltimore still being 60-63 and last place in the American League East. But, as first baseman Pete Alonso said, it’s a 162-game season for a reason.

“As long as we’re popping bottles on that last day — or, hopefully, before that — that’s all that matters,” said Alonso, who dealt with a cramping right calf late in the game.

Alonso said he is used to playing through nagging injuries. He has played 539 consecutive games, and he said he will be in the lineup Sunday whether he’s a bit hobbled or not.

“There’s no concern about it whatever,” Alonso said. “I’ve hobbled around before in my career, played through worse. It is what it is. Just got to stay on top of some work, and it is what it is. Feel fine, feel good. Got a game in maybe like 18 hours or so, so I’ve got to do whatever I can to get ready for that.”

To get into what Albernaz called a “crazy” five-way tie for the last wild-card place, it first took a ninth-inning breakdown. These Rays just don’t go away. They were down to their final out in the ninth inning, and they just don’t stop.

It was innocuous at first: a two-out single from Yandy Díaz. It became a whole lot more nerve-racking when Jonathan Aranda singled and pinch runner Jorge Mateo raced to third. It wound up being a gut punch when Junior Caminero’s soft dribbler turned into an RBI infield single against right-hander Andrew Kittredge.

But Tyler O’Neill has been one of Baltimore’s best hitters since July, and he continued that by lashing an RBI single off All-Star closer Bryan Baker to begin the 10th inning, scoring the automatic runner from second.

The Orioles could’ve added on, but they stranded the bases loaded when Baker struck out Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

That set up a high-risk situation for Sanders, who has been thrown into a few of these now.

“I’ve had plenty of reps in the minor leagues, major leagues in that situation,” said Sanders, who has bounced around in recent years but appears to have runway in Baltimore. “I just kind of stuck with my strengths and stuck with it.”

On Friday night, with runners on first and second, Sanders entered with two outs in the ninth inning and earned the save by forcing a first-pitch flyout.

This was more challenging, with a one-run lead and the automatic runner on second to start the frame. But Sanders worked a flyout, then walked a batter, before striking out Cedric Mullins and Richie Palacios.

The latter plate appearance was eight pitches. Sanders punctuated it for a swing and miss from Palacios with a 98.2 mph fastball.

“It was just an awesome feeling,” Sanders said. “Just an absolute grind of an at-bat. I mean, hats off to Palacios for putting in the work. He kept fouling everything off. And it felt good to fire that heater in there and see a positive result.”

Earlier in the game, the Orioles established a lead through the power of Alonso. He thought he walked. It was a three-ball count, and that up-and-away sinker didn’t appeal to the Orioles slugger. Alonso turned, dropped his bat, then heard the strike call.

As it turns out, the umpire did him a favor.

Alonso stepped back into the box, and the next pitch from left-hander Ian Seymour was a sweeper on the upper edge of the strike zone. Alonso crushed it for his 27th home run of the season.

After spending Friday in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career, Alonso dealt with the demotion to lowly No. 2 in the batting order by blasting a critical long ball. With 27, Alonso has 10 more homers than any Oriole managed last year (a three-way tie among Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg at 17).

“We might see that again sometime,” Albernaz said of Alonso hitting leadoff. Alonso joked he could be seen as Kyle Schwarber adjacent, mirroring the Philadelphia Phillies’ slugging leadoff hitter.

Wherever he hits, though, matters less than the fact he does hit. Alonso, like Henderson, will be a key figure down the stretch of what could be a postseason chase. It takes stars playing up to their potential.

It also takes unheralded players stepping up, as Encarnacion-Strand did in the sixth inning. His solo homer provided a third run for the Orioles, which allowed right-hander Kyle Bradish a bit of wiggle room.

“Our offense did everything it needed to today,” Alonso said. “Up and down the lineup, it was quality at-bats, and we got runs when we needed them most.”

This was not a very Bradish-like night. He generated four swings and misses, tied for his lowest this season. He walked four batters and allowed seven hits. It was a busy night on the bases, and Bradish was not at his best.

The mark of a quality starting pitcher, however, is that he can find a way on any given night — whether the ball feels great out of his hand or not, the opposing batter isn’t going to find it easy. That’s what Bradish did Saturday. And it’s what he’s done against the Rays in all three of his outings against the American League’s top team.

“Clearly didn’t have my best stuff,” Bradish said. “I think the command was just more wasted pitches with the curveball. Didn’t really feel comfortable with it today. Still had to throw it. But, overall, I’m pleased with that outing, especially with that offense.”

Bradish held Tampa Bay to two runs in six innings Saturday. In his two previous starts against Tampa Bay, he combined to allow three earned runs.

“The game plan kind of stayed the same,” Bradish said. “We know what we’re going to do, and that’s: Go out and attack guys. Curveball wasn’t there today like it had been the other two starts, but I was able to find the slider later, and both fastballs played really good today.”

The first run scored against Bradish when catcher Carlos Narváez tried to back-pick Palacios at third. Narváez’s throw sailed into left field, allowing Palacios to momentarily tie the game in the third. In the sixth, Mullins’ RBI triple narrowed the two-run lead to one.

And, just like the first game, there was more ninth-inning drama. The Rays tied it against Kittredge. But Sanders held his resolve in the 10th to seal a win. Because of it, the Orioles are proving they still have life. Despite everything, for at least the moment, Baltimore is in a deadlock for the final wild-card spot.

“Still a lot of baseball to be played, but I think we’re playing better baseball,” Bradish said. “We just need to keep carrying that momentum each day.”

This article has been updated.