Tyler Wells made it back onto a mound this summer after his reconstructive elbow surgery in June 2024. He found a spot in the starting rotation, which is his preference among roles on the Orioles’ pitching staff.
The rehab and perseverance earn him a win every time he picks up the ball.
It won’t show on his record tonight.
Wells turned in his poorest showing among his four starts, allowing three runs over four innings in a 6-2 loss to the Rays before an announced crowd of 18,367 at Camden Yards.
The most painful moment came in the ninth inning with rookie Samuel Basallo leading off against Pete Fairbanks. He was drilled on the right wrist/hand area by a 96.6 mph fastball and came out of the game. The club will provide an update, but he was in obvious pain as he crouched and then walked off the field while tilting back his head, grimacing and holding onto his wrist.
Basallo stayed in last night's game after being nailed on the right elbow in the sixth inning.
Seven of the Rays' first 16 batters reached base through the third inning, forcing Wells to throw 67 pitches. Leadoff hitter Chandler Simpson singled in the first and scored on Brandon Lowe’s double. Richie Palacios and Hunter Feduccia doubled in the second. Lowe led off the third with a home run to right at 107.6 mph.
The Rays collected their seven hits off Wells in that stretch. He walked a batter in the fourth but got a double play and came out after 79 pitches. The final outing of the season left his ERA at 2.91.
The last home game will be played Thursday afternoon, before the Orioles (74-84) head to New York for a weekend series. They could use more offense. They were no-hit until Tyler O’Neill’s leadoff single against reliever Griffin Jax in the seventh inning and were nearing their 16th shutout until Jordan Westburg’s two-run single in the eighth against former Orioles reliever Bryan Baker.
Colton Cowser walked and Dylan Beavers singled to set up Westburg.
Gunnar Henderson reached on an error in the first inning and stole his 29th base. Cowser and Jeremiah Jackson had back-to-back walks against Shane Baz to begin the third. Cowser moved to third base on Beavers’ fly ball, but Westburg grounded into a double play.
O’Neill walked with one out in the fourth and was stranded.
Baz passed along the no-hit bid to Edwin Uceta, who retired the side in order in the fifth and struck out two. Former Orioles draft pick Garrett Cleavinger cruised through the sixth, but O’Neill lined a Jax sweeper over shortstop Tristan Gray’s glove in the seventh.
Another no-hit threat passed without incident. They’re getting used to it.
The Orioles have been no-hit seven times, the most recent by the Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma on Aug. 12, 2015 at Safeco Field. The Red Sox’s Hideo Nomo spun the only no-hitter at Camden Yards on April 4, 2001.
The Rays led 4-0 in the sixth after Gray’s double off Dietrich Enns and O’Neill’s fielding error that allowed Palacios to score an unearned run. Another unearned run scored against José Castillo in the seventh, and Jake Mangum hit a solo homer off him in the eighth.
Matt Garza has recorded the only no-hitter in Rays history in 2010. Tampa Bay pitching also lost its combined shutout but moved three games ahead of the Orioles for fourth place.