Orioles slide reaches 12 games

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Rookie Wade Davis allowed one run over seven innings, Carl Crawford stole his career-high 60th base and the Tampa Bay Rays handed the Baltimore Orioles their 12th straight loss with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night.

The Orioles' slide is the longest in the majors this season. Tampa Bay (Sept. 3-13) and Cleveland (Sept. 13-24) both had 11-game skids.

It is Baltimore's longest slump since dropping 12 in a row Aug. 16-28, 2004. The Orioles (60-97) are a season-worst 37 games under .500.

Davis (2-1) gave up seven hits, with six coming in the first three innings. The right-hander retired his last 11 batters.

Ben Zobrist had a run-scoring double during a two-run first for the Rays, who are 9-5 after an 11-games losing streak.

Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie (10-17) allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings. The major league leader in defeats this season has lost four consecutive starts.

Crawford walked, stole second and scored on Zobrist's RBI double in the first. Willy Aybar's run-scoring single later in the inning put the Rays ahead 2-0.

Crawford joins Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury (2009) and Chone Figgins (2005) of the Los Angeles Angels as the only AL players this decade to have 60 or more stolen bases in one season.

Baltimore got to 2-1 in the third when Brian Roberts set a major league record for a switch-hitter with his 56th double of the year and later scored on Luke Scott's RBI single. Roberts had shared the doubles' mark with Lance Berkman, who had 55 doubles in 2001.

The Orioles scored one run through three innings despite having six hits and three walks. Baltimore hit into a double play, had a runner thrown out at plate trying to score on a single and another retired at third after a pitch in the dirt.

Tampa Bay went up 3-1 in the seventh on B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly. Grant Balfour, the fifth Tampa Bay reliever, got the final two outs for his third save.

NOTES: Orioles manager Dave Trembley said it is doubtful that OF Felix Pie (left quadriceps) and RHP Bob McCrory (shoulder) will play again this season. ... Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said rookie RHP Jeff Niemann (12-6) will make his final scheduled start of the season Saturday. He has thrown 175 2-3 innings over 30 appearances. ... Baltimore is 6-28 in road games against the AL East.

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