FRED GOODALL, AP Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Francisco Mejía homered and drove in three runs, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat Baltimore 5-3 Saturday for their 14th straight win over the Orioles.
The two-time defending AL East champions improved to 20-1 against the Orioles since the start of the 2021, and the 14-game winning streak that began last July is the longest against a single opponent in Rays history.
Mejía’s pinch-hit, eighth-inning sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead run in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 season-opening victory over the Orioles on Friday. He started at catcher Saturday, delivering a RBI single in the second and a two-run homer off Jordan Lyles (0-1) in the third.
Wander Franco, hitless after singling three times in the opener, finished a three-run second inning with a hard-hit sacrifice fly for Tampa Bay, which has outscored Baltimore 157-75 in the past 21 games between the teams.
Reliever Josh Fleming (1-0) inherited a three-run lead and worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings, while allowing three hits and striking out five. Andrew Kittredge yielded a run-scoring double to Jorge Mateo in the ninth before getting the save.
Meanwhile, Lyles allowed five runs and seven hits over five innings. The Rays hit him hard from the start, with nine batted balls registering exit velocities of over 100 miles per hour in the first four innings, including Franco’s line-drive sacrifice fly and another ball the 21-year-old launched to the wall in center field.
Lyles allowed a major league-high 38 home runs last season while going 10-13 with a 5.15 ERA in 32 appearances (30 starts) with the Texas Rangers. That was also a career high, and the most homers allowed in the majors since Mike Leake yielded 41 in 2019.
Rays starter Drew Rassmussen departed with a 5-2 lead, but worked just four innings and not involved in the decision. The right-hander gave up a two-run homer to Ryan Mountcastle in third and allowed three hits, walked one and struck out three while throwing 64 pitches.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles LF Anthony Santander, who homered on opening day, was hit by a pitch in the left knee in the first inning. He stood near the plate, doubled over in pain for a moment, but remained in the game and went 2 for 3 with two singles.
UP NEXT
The finale of the season-opening, three-game series, with former AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber making his debut for the Rays after going 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA for the Yankees in 2021. He’s 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 career starts against Baltimore. Right-hander Tyler Well (2-3, 4.11 last season) starts for the Orioles.
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