O's Swept by Rays

The Orioles dropped their fifth straight and fell to last place in the AL East today after losing 5-4 to Tampa.

The O's scored first, but Daniel Cabrera gave up four runs in the third inning to put Tampa ahead. Cabrera settled down after that, but he wasn't as sharp as he'd been in his last few outings. He was pulled after 5.2 innings, and allowed four runs off nine hits and six walks. Cabrera's quality start streak came to an end, as this was his shortest outing since his first start of the season.

The O's rallied, scoring once in the fifth and twice in the sixth. Aubrey Huff's solo shot to center field in the sixth inning tied the game at four.

Jim Johnson pitched a scoreless eighth and got one out in the ninth before being lifted for George Sherrill. Sherrill walked the first batter he faced and then gave up a game-winning double.

The Birds are now a game under .500 and in the AL East cellar (with the win, the Rays took first place). This is the O's second 5-game losing streak this month, and they went just 1-5 on the road trip. They return home to begin a three-game series against the Yankees tomorrow afternoon. Garrett Olson will face Darrell Rasner (a rematch from last week, hopefully Olson comes out on top this time).