Zach Eflin pitched seven scoreless innings against his old team, helping the Baltimore Orioles take sole possession of first place in the American League East with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
“That’s so good right there,” said Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde about Eflin. “A little extra motivation pitching against the team that you were just with. That was textbook pitching.”
Eflin (8-7) allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out seven to earn his third consecutive win since the Orioles acquired him from Tampa Bay on July 26.
“Honestly, it’s like an out-of-body experience being with these guys like 15 days ago,” Eflin said.
Eflin stayed at his home in the Tampa area and spent time with his family. “It’s been a good while since I got to see my kids,” he said.
Rays manager Kevin Cash described facing Eflin as a unique situation. “Even though Eflin was here for a year and a half, it felt like he was here much longer just because of the impact he had on the club performing and what he did in the clubhouse,” Cash said.
Eflin joins Kyle Gibson (2023) and Jack Harshman (1958) as the only Orioles pitchers to win their first three starts with the team.
Seranthony Domínguez pitched a perfect eighth inning. Yennier Cano gave up a leadoff home run to Dylan Carlson in the ninth before finishing the game with a combined five-hitter.
Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins hit home runs for the Orioles, who now have a half-game lead over the idle Yankees. New York’s game against Texas on Friday night was postponed due to rain.
Cowser led off the game with his 18th home run on Zack Littell’s fourth pitch. It was the rookie’s second career leadoff home run.
In the fifth inning, after Gunnar Henderson walked in a 10-pitch at-bat to load the bases with two outs, Ryan O’Hearn extended the lead to 3-0 with a two-run single to center.
