What we learned from Orioles-Rays battle for best team in AL - ESPN

The Tampa Bay Rays started the season 13-0, 20-3 and 27-6 — and it looked like they might run away with the American League East. Except, while the Rays were scorching the various bottom dwellers of the major leagues, the Baltimore Orioles were lurking with their own hot start. When the Rays were 27-6, the Orioles were 22-10.

The Rays' biggest lead in the division had been 6½ games, but they lost their first seven games of July and then got swept in Texas last week. That meant the Orioles came to town for four games in a virtual tie for first place — the first time since Opening Day the Rays weren't in sole possession of first.

This felt like the first really big series of the season, so let's see what we learned as Baltimore took three of four to take a two-game lead over Tampa Bay atop the AL East.

Standings: Orioles 59-37; Rays 60-40

Key moment: With runners at first and second and two outs in the bottom of the eighth with the game tied, Tampa's Harold Ramirez hits a hard grounder headed into right field for the likely go-ahead RBI. But Orioles second baseman Ramon Urias — who won a Gold Glove last season at third base — makes a diving stab and throws him out. The Orioles score in the top of the 10th, and Felix Bautista closes it out with a game-ending double play.

Takeaways: Are the Orioles a surprise? The consensus is, yes, as most preseason prognostications had them around a .500 team — which, in the tough AL East, meant a possible fifth-place finish. But, despite being fifth in the AL in runs and ninth in ERA, they have the best record in the league. Why? They just win.

This game showed exactly why they're successful in so many of these close games — at least beyond the dynamic bullpen duo of Bautista and Yennier