All-around effort leads Rays to first series win over O's since 2022

BALTIMORE -- Edwin Uceta flung a sinker to the top of the strike zone, missing Coby Mayo’s bat, then bent over, pumped both fists and shouted down at the mound. The unheralded, lights-out reliever had just finished a five-out save to secure the Rays’ 2-0 victory over the Orioles on a picturesque Sunday afternoon, and his second career save felt like a moment to celebrate.

“Very happy,” Uceta said through interpreter Manny Navarro.

And the Rays were thrilled overall as they left Oriole Park on Sunday, bound for Philadelphia to face another contending team. Sunday’s victory secured their first series victory against the Orioles since Aug. 12-14, 2022, and their first series win at Camden Yards since Aug. 27-29, 2021.

They did it mostly with great pitching and defense, holding the O’s to three runs all weekend and lowering their ERA since the All-Star break to 3.24, the fourth-lowest mark in the Majors.

“I don't think there's any doubt that our pitching staff can shut down any lineup in the league, and we kind of showed that,” starter Zack Littell said.

Here are four highlights from Tampa Bay’s 10th shutout of the season.

Go, Jonny, go
Maybe it was the chance to go home. Maybe it was facing his former team. Maybe it was the hits he got off Clayton Kershaw. Or maybe it was the opportunity to get more regular playing time.

Whatever the cause, Jonny DeLuca has caught fire for the Rays since their series at Dodger Stadium three weeks ago, and he stayed hot Sunday by launching a two-run, 412-foot homer off Corbin Burnes in the sixth inning.

“When you get a few hits off a future Hall of Famer [Kershaw] and are able to have a pretty good series, that’s always going to give you a good confidence boost,” DeLuca said.

It was a challenging summer at the plate for the 26-year-old outfielder, but he’s potentially poised for a strong finish after making “little adjustments” to his swing to use his legs more. Over his last 15 games, DeLuca is hitting .370 with three homers, two doubles and a triple.

“Sometimes I don't know what comes first, the confidence or the results, but in this situation, it seems like he started getting good results in LA, and he's really carried on now for three weeks,” manager Kevin Cash said.

Littell bounces back
Littell looked a little rusty last Monday in his first start back from the injured list. After nearly three weeks off, his typically sharp command eluded him as he walked four and worked only four innings.

But he was back in better form Sunday, holding the Orioles to three hits and a walk while striking out four over five-plus innings in what Cash described as a “bounce-back start.”

“Just generally a lot sharper,” Littell said. “Still I think a little bit more to go, but definitely a step in the right direction.”

The ‘pen is mightier
When Littell exited in the sixth, the Rays turned to a bullpen light on familiar names but full of talented, effective arms. Richard Lovelady picked up four outs, Kevin Kelly extended his scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings, Garrett Cleavinger started the eighth and Uceta handled the rest.

Uceta struck out Eloy Jiménez and Anthony Santander to leave two runners on in the eighth. He took a deep breath off the mound after walking Jackson Holliday with two outs in the ninth, then fanned Mayo to end it.

The Rays’ 2.57 bullpen ERA since the All-Star break is the best in baseball.

“I think it goes to show how good our pitching staff is right now,” DeLuca said. “They're throwing strikes, and every single one of them is nasty. So, a lot of credit to them.”

Grad bash
Christopher Morel returned to the Rays lineup on Sunday, and he came back with a diploma in hand.

Morel was away from the team briefly, as he went home to Santiago in the Dominican Republic for his high school graduation on Saturday from Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. The 25-year-old, who signed with the Cubs to begin his professional career when he was 16, had been taking online classes, two courses at a time.

He told his mother, Rosa, he was coming home for a meeting with MLB so she wouldn’t suspect anything, only to have friends surprise her with a trip to his graduation ceremony.

“It’s very important for me. It was very important for my mom for me to be able to accomplish this,” Morel said through Navarro. “I know it’s something that a lot of people don’t get to do in the Dominican, so I’m glad it’s an accomplishment I was able to do -- not just for me, but for my mom as well.”