Orioles edge Rays in 10, move alone atop AL East

Colton Cowser’s 10th-inning sacrifice fly scored Aaron Hicks to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at St. Petersburg, Fla

Cowser went 1-for-3, while Ryan O’Hearn also had an RBI for the first-place Orioles, who won for the 10th time in their past 12 games

Felix Bautista (5-1) pitched scoreless ball in the ninth and 10th inning to pick up the win for Baltimore, which moved one game in front of Tampa Bay atop the American League East standings.

The Orioles, who for the 10th time in 12 games, struck out 14 times. The Rays, who have dropped five straight games and 12 of their past 15 contests, fanned 13 times

Yandy Diaz hit a two-run double for Tampa Bay but struck out three times.

Trailing 3-1, the Rays tied the game in the seventh

After consecutive singles by Taylor Walls and Christian Bethancourt, Yennier Cano replaced Tampa Bay starter Kyle Gibson. Cano promptly gave up Diaz’s double to center, leveling the game.

Gibson was charged with three runs on seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in six-plus innings.

In the 10th, Adam Frazier’s sacrifice bunt moved automatic runner Hicks to third before Hicks scored on Cowser’s sacrifice fly to left off Robert Stephenson (1-4).

In the bottom of the 10th, Luke Raley was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Bautista then struck out Randy Arozarena, who fanned four times in five at-bats, before inducing Brandon Lowe to ground into a game-ending double play.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in seven innings

Tampa Bay took a 1-0 advantage on Francisco Mejia’s run-scoring single in the second inning before the Orioles took the lead with a three-run fourth

After Gunnar Henderson led off with a triple, he crossed the plate on Adley Rutschman’s single to right.

Anthony Santander followed with a single to put runners on first and second before each moved up a base on Glasnow’s wild pitch.

O’Hearn’s sacrifice fly to left scored Rutschman, and two batters later, Santander scored on Hicks’ single to left when catcher Mejia couldn’t hold on to Arozarena’s throw from left field while trying to tag a diving Santander.

–Field Level Media