BALTIMORE — Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead two-run homer for his 30th of the season, Trevor Rogers struck out six in seven innings and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
Alonso also had an RBI single in the first to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. He’s batting .480 during the stretch.
Rogers (9-8) allowed three runs and six hits in his third quality start across four starts in August. He walked one.
After Alonso put the Orioles ahead in the first, Chandler Simpson tied it in the second with an RBI single. Kenny Piper hit first career homer, a two-run 410-footer to center, to give the Rays a 3-1 lead.
Dylan Beavers launched a solo shot in the fourth to get one back. Jackson Holliday tied it with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Alonso then blasted his 30th homer 443 feet to left, giving Baltimore the lead for good. He became the eighth Orioles player since 1954 to hit 30 home runs in his first season with the club.
Rico Garcia struck out two in the ninth for his sixth save.
Freddy Peralta (5-11) went seven innings for the Rays, striking out four and walking one while giving up five runs and seven hits.
Meanwhile, Willson Contreras hit a three-run home run and the Boston Red Sox held off the San Francisco Giants 6-4 in the return of Rafael Devers to Fenway Park.
The Giants pulled within 5-4 in the fourth inning after Drew Gilbert hit a two-run homer off Boston starter Sonny Gray, and Devers followed with a solo homer, his 26th this season.
But Wilyer Abreu’s RBI triple in the sixth gave Boston enough cushion. Gray (16-3) pitched six innings, allowing four runs off seven hits and while striking out six. Aroldis Chapman struck out three and walked one in the ninth to pick up his 28th save.
Bryce Eldridge added an RBI single for San Francisco.
Contreras jumped on an 85-mph changeup from Giants starter Logan Webb (8-8) and crushed a 450-foot rope over the Green Monster and out of stadium for his 26th homer to put the Red Sox in front 3-1.
It was part of a five-run inning for Boston. Webb walked Andruw Monasterio with the bases loaded and then hit Mickey Gasper to let in another run before being pulled.