Westburg’s 3 hits and Cowser’s go-ahead homer spur Orioles to 5-1 win over Rays

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Colton Cowser hit a go-ahead homer and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Tuesday night at Steinbrenner Field.

Jordan Westburg and Dylan Carlson each had three hits for the Orioles, who have won 12 of 17. Ramón Laureano drove in two runs.

Westburg fell inches shy of a second-inning homer when his flyball bounced off the top of the left-center fence. After a replay review upheld the double, Westburg scored the first run on Laureano’s single.

Eight of nine starters had at least one hit for Baltimore.

Rays starter Zack Littell (6-7) had retired 10 straight until Cowser launched a slider into the right-field seats for a solo shot that broke a 1-all tie in the fifth.

Baltimore starter Dean Kremer (6-7) allowed one run and four hits over five innings, leaving with a 2-1 lead. Four relievers combined to shut out the Rays over the final four innings, improving the bullpen’s ERA to 1.76 since May 24.

Tampa Bay remained 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East. Rays leadoff hitters reached base in five of nine innings but the team finished 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.

Baltimore got three consecutive hits with two outs in the sixth, including Laureano’s second RBI single, to take a 3-1 lead. Gunnar Henderson added an RBI single in the seventh, and Jackson Holliday had a run-scoring single in the ninth.

Laureano neutralized a potential Rays threat in the second by throwing out Jonathan Aranda trying to stretch a single. Since 2018, Laureano ranks third in the majors with 54 outfield assists.

The teams continue their four-game set Wednesday with the Rays starting RHP Taj Bradley (4-5, 4.35 ERA). Baltimore goes with LHP Trevor Rogers (0-0, 0.00) after promoting him from Triple-A Norfolk.