The lack of consistency that Orioles manager Craig Albernaz talked about earlier this week, the scattered breakdowns that keep his team from getting on a substantial roll, began to surface again tonight.

The pitching was solid. The defense held together. But the bats kept failing until Samuel Basallo removed one from the rack.

Basallo tied the game with a pinch-hit, two-run homer off Tampa Bay reliever Kevin Kelly in the eighth inning in his fourth game since leaving the injured list. And Dylan Beavers came off the bench in the 10th and doubled off Bryan Baker to score Leody Taveras and give the Orioles a 3-2 victory before an announced crowd of 27,158 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles improved to 63-67 overall and 8-4 against the Rays. Their 34 pinch-hit RBIs lead the majors.

“It’s a great asset,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “All of our players do something special in this game and we want to utilize it to our advantage when we can when it pops up for the game. And our guys do a great job of staying prepared, staying locked in. They know when not in the starting lineup, they know they can impact the game that night. Our guys just do a great job of being ready.

“Like Sammy, obviously understatement, that was a great pinch-hit at-bat, but his prep all day was outstanding. And then Beavers coming in in that spot was huge, too. It’s a credit to our players. They work hard, they want to win, they pull for each other. It’s awesome.”

Rico Garcia didn’t allow a run in the top of the 10th. He fielded Taylor Walls’ bunt with one out and flipped to Carlos Narváez, who tagged Richie Palacios. Beavers was Baker’s first batter, and his last.

Beavers has four career walk-off hits. He joins Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Charlie Hargreaves, Elijah Dukes, David Bote and Cliff Bolton as the only players since 1920 with at least four walk-off RBI games in their first 110 career games.

“He’s ready for the moment,” Albernaz said. “That’s the thing with Beavs – even temperament, he doesn’t get too high, too low. Does a great job of managing the at-bat. Even that at-bat, Baker has a pretty good changeup, and he’s reverse splits, tougher against lefties. And the first couple swings on the changeup weren’t ideal, but Beavs did a great job of getting it back to two-two count. Pretty good swing on the last changeup.”

An option, of course, was to lay down a bunt and advance the runner. The Orioles considered it.

“I talked to Beavs beforehand, right when we saw Baker getting up,” Albernaz said. “We knew Beavs was going to pitch it. I was talking to him and I said, ‘Beavs, you can bunt if you want, but ultimately, I trust you swinging the bat.’ So in my mind we have three shots to score the run.

“I just told Beavs, ‘If you’re going to make it out, make an out pull-side.’ Like that’s it. I trust Beavs in that situation. He does a great job managing the at-bat, but when you get some of your better hitters up there and guys you trust and you like the matchup, you got to trust your players.”

“I was trying to move him over,” Beavers said with a grin. “I asked him, ‘You want me to bunt him over or swing?’ And he told me, ‘I trust you more than anybody. Go take an at-bat, get something you can get to the pull side and move him over.”

Having that trust certainly helps a young player’s confidence.

“And then, you also don’t want to let him down, so you feel like you’ve got to go execute,” said Beavers, who homered in each of the three previous games. “So yeah, I wasn’t really trying to do too much, just looking for something I could get to the pull side.”

“He’s so talented, and I think everybody in this room knows it,” Basallo said through interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I’m happy that everybody else is able to see it now, but there’s no question of how talented he is, and we’re all so happy for him.”

The Orioles have six pinch-hit homers this season. Basallo registered the first of his career, launching a sinker 411 feet to center field after Jackson Holliday’s leadoff single and Pete Alonso’s strikeout.

“Pinch-hitting is really hard, and sometimes you’re a little bit antsy and you start swinging at the first pitch being thrown to you,” Albernaz said. “But he did a great job of getting the count to 2-0 in his favor, and talk about Beavers with the walk-off hits. But Sammy coming up in that situation with a young player, you could try to do too much, but Sammy, that at-bat was awesome.”

“He’s nuts,” Beavers said. “I’ve seen him hit balls as hard as anybody. I’d say him, Coby (Mayo) and Pete, there’s a few other guys on the team that can really mash the ball. But I haven’t really played with anybody else that can hit the ball like that. It’s always fun to watch, and you almost kind of expect it when they’re in the box.”

Basallo missed a month with right shoulder inflammation. Tonight’s homer was his 17th this season.

“It felt really good being able to come back from the injury and being able to help the team right there. Being able to help the team get that win right there made it feel even better,” Basallo said.

“And no, I didn’t think it was gone right away. I feel like I’ve hit the ball well a few times this year and it hasn’t gone out, so once I hit it, I just tried to run out of the box as fast as I could.”

Right fielder Tyler O’Neill had perhaps the defensive game of his life. The two-time Gold Glove winner threw out a runner at third base in the sixth and made a diving catch of a shallow fly ball to rob Palacios with two outs in the ninth and keep the tie-breaking run from scoring after Jonny DeLuca doubled.

Brandon Young struggled early and late in his start, with an impressive middle stretch. He allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings and left after 84 pitches, 48 for strikes.

Young retired 10 in a row and had a six-pitch fourth inning before walking former Oriole Cedric Mullins with two outs in the fifth. Carlos Narváez threw out Mullins trying to steal.

Taylor Walls drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and O’Neill cut him down trying for third base on Yandy Díaz’s single. O’Neill leads the club with seven outfield assists, which ties his career high.

Chandler Simpson reached with two outs on an infield single hit and Junior Caminero gave the Rays a 2-0 lead with a single into center field. Josh Walker replaced him and stranded two runners.

Walker logged his eighth scoreless outing in a row and his ninth in 10 appearances.

“He grinded through it, did everything he can,” Albernaz said of Young. “Kept them down, gave us a chance to win. That’s the biggest thing. His pitch count was down. The first couple innings were a little bit grindy. He had more balls than strikes for a little bit. But he did a great job of settling in.”

Said Young: “I did some things well, but left a sour taste in my mouth. I made the pitch to Caminero, broke his bat, but I think the Chandler Simpson ground ball, I should have dove and got that ball. That’s mostly what I’m frustrated about. Thought I made pitches later on in the game and started getting ahead. I wasn’t really getting ahead with first pitch strikes early on, but made pitches when I needed to. I thought it was definitely better than last. This is a great lineup and facing them back-to-back isn’t easy, but I thought I did a good job.”

Liam Hicks lined a sinker onto the flag court in right field leading off the second inning after the Orioles put two runners in scoring position with one out in the first and didn’t convert. The Rays grounded into their second double play of the night after DeLuca followed with an infield hit.

Young told the media after his last start, when he allowed four runs and eight hits in four innings at Tropicana Field, that he felt some discomfort in a finger on his pitching hand but said it didn’t impact his performance.

“It’s general soreness ,” Albernaz said this afternoon. “We’re at that point in the year where everyone is dealing with something and battling something. Our training staff is doing a great job of staying on top of guys. But to me, that comes with the territory being the time of year we’re in.”

The Rays wasted a chance to take a quick lead after Díaz’s leadoff single in the first and Jonathan Aranda’s walk. Simpson popped up in foul territory and Caminero grounded into a 6-4-3 double play with the count full.

The Orioles squandered their own opportunity in the bottom of the first after Alonso’s one-out single at 106.4 mph and Mayo’s double down the left field line. O’Neill flied to shallow left field and Gunnar Henderson swung through a 98.6 mph fastball with the count full.

Alonso extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest by an Oriole since Colton Cowser’s 17 in a row in 2024. He also singled with two outs in the third inning at 104.7 mph, and Mayo followed with a single to left field at 112.6 mph.

Mayo’s assault on left-handers is relentless. The second hit raised his average against them to .306 with eight doubles and 13 home runs in 108 at-bats.

O’Neill flied out again to end the rally. Alonso and Mayo had the only hits off Shane McClanahan, who blanked the Orioles for five innings but was removed after 74 pitches. The leash is shorter with only two starts since his reinstatement from the injured list.

Tyler Wells tossed two scoreless innings in his return to Camden Yards.

Alex Hoppe retired all four batters he faced.

The Orioles moved within one game of the third Wild Card.

“Every game feels like it matters more and every win really matters right now for us,” Basallo said. “So we’re going out there and doing the best we can every single night to try to get a win.”

“Like I said before, countless times, this team doesn’t give up,” Young said. “Basallo with the two-run pump pinch hit was huge and Beavers, I thought he hit his fourth home run, fourth straight game. It’s a great win. I feel great. They picked me up countless times before and you know, we got a couple more months of baseball left, too.”

Latest on Helsley

Don’t get too excited. It isn’t much of an update because Helsley hasn’t advanced much in his throwing progression.

Helsley is on the injured list for a second time with right elbow inflammation, with his last appearance coming June 27. He’s trying to come back next month on the expanded roster but hasn’t thrown live batting practice.

“He’s still playing catch,” Albernaz said. “Every time he throws we’re taking inventory of how he’s feeling, working with the medical staff to see where he’s at. And everything’s been going fine. I think we’re still just hearing Hels’ feedback and kind of how he’s recovering.”

Down on the farm

Double-A Chesapeake’s JT Quinn, the Competitive Balance pick last year out of the University of Georgia, allowed two runs in five innings against Richmond. Colin Tuft hit his first Double-A home run.

High-A Frederick’s Twine Palmer allowed an unearned run and two hits over four innings in Wilmington. Carson Dorsey followed with four scoreless innings in a 1-0 loss.