Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays

For five innings, the game was a pitchers' duel. Baltimore starter Shane Baz and Tampa Bay's Nick Martinez traded zeros, with neither team mounting a serious threat.

The deadlock broke in the top of the sixth. Yandy Díaz led off with a single and moved to second on a Jonathan Aranda single. Junior Caminero walked to load the bases, and Díaz scored on a wild pitch from Baz to make it 1-0 Rays. Caminero followed with an RBI single to right, extending the lead to 2-0, before Chandler Simpson punched an RBI single through the infield off reliever Grant Wolfram to cap the three-run frame.

Baltimore did not record a hit until Colton Cowser doubled in the fourth inning. The Orioles managed just two hits all day — Cowser's double and his solo home run in the ninth inning off Rays closer Bryan Baker. Cowser's 12th homer of the season spoiled the shutout but was too little, too late.

The top of the sixth inning decided the game. After Baz had held the Rays scoreless through five — helped by a caught-stealing from Samuel Basallo and a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play in the fifth — Tampa Bay strung together three consecutive hard-hit at-bats. Baz left with two outs having allowed five hits and three earned runs, and the bullpen could not stop the bleeding. Baltimore's offence, meanwhile, never solved Martinez.

Nick Martinez (Rays) — Player of the Match. The right-hander improved to 13-4 with six dominant innings: one hit, zero walks, four strikeouts on 86 pitches. He retired the final 12 batters he faced after Cowser's second-inning double. Martinez lowered his ERA to 2.93.

Colton Cowser (Orioles) — The lone bright spot in Baltimore's lineup, Cowser went 2-for-3 with a double and a ninth-inning solo homer (his 12th). He accounted for both of Baltimore's hits.

Junior Caminero (Rays) — 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI single and a run scored. The 23-year-old third baseman now has 83 RBIs on the season.

Bryan Baker (Rays) — Earned his 37th save — second-most in the AL — allowing only Cowser's solo homer in the ninth.

Tampa Bay out-hit Baltimore 7-2, but the story was Martinez's efficiency: he faced only 19 batters over six innings and never threw from behind in a count. The Orioles' two hits tied their second-lowest output in a game this season. The Rays put pressure on Baz early with hard contact, but the real damage came via a walk and a wild pitch that turned a scoreless game into a three-run inning. Tampa Bay's bullpen trio of Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly and Baker combined for three innings of one-hit relief with one strikeout. The Rays also turned one double play and catcher Liam Hicks threw out a baserunner.

The Rays (77-53) remain atop the AL East, one game ahead of the New York Yankees. Baltimore (63-68) sits fifth in the division, 14 games back, and continues to trend toward a losing season. The Orioles have lost three of their last four and have been held to two runs or fewer in five of their last 10 games.

Next up: The Rays head to Washington to face the Nationals on 25 August. The Orioles travel to St. Louis for a two-game interleague series against the Cardinals, also starting 25 August.

A textbook road win: great starting pitching, timely hitting in one inning, and a lockdown bullpen. Martinez was the difference, and Baltimore's lineup — without an answer for soft contact or the Rays' defensive positioning — never found a rhythm. The AL East gap between these two clubs was on full display.

• CBS Sports box score: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/boxscore/MLB_20260823_TB@BAL/
• MLB Game Story 824799: https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/824799
• RotoWire box score: https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/box-score/orioles-vs-rays-2026-08-23-2940700
• Betmana match data: https://betmana.co.uk/baseball/match/usa/mlb/season-2026/2026-08-23/179978-baltimore-orioles-vs-tampa-bay-rays/