Coming off a series in which they held their own against the best team in the National League, the Orioles largely did the same in their opener with the American League’s top club.

But they’ve found themselves as losers of three of those four games after falling to the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-0, to begin a three-game set between teams who entered with the best records in the AL.

Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan, who was born in Baltimore, held his favorite boyhood team scoreless over six innings, and Tampa Bay’s dominant bullpen finished the shutout. The defeat marked the Orioles’ first in a series opener after they won their first 11.

They pushed it to that mark with Friday’s first game against the NL-best Atlanta Braves, but since, Baltimore’s hitters have gone 2-for-29 with runners in scoring position as the Orioles have dropped three straight. Star catcher Adley Rutschman had Monday’s final opportunity in those situations with chants of “Ad-ley” from an announced crowd of 12,669 as he hit with runners on second and third and two outs in the seventh. But he struck out for a third time to leave two in scoring position and stretch his personal hitless spell to 18 at-bats.

The Orioles (22-13) threatened against McClanahan in each of his even innings but made nothing of those opportunities. Two two-out walks in the second preceded a flyout. Anthony Santander walked to open the fourth, and Jorge Mateo followed with a bunt single that temporarily hobbled McClanahan when he slipped trying to field it, but after James McCann flied out, Rays shortstop Wander Franco caught a bloop from Adam Frazier and doubled Santander off second base. Santander doubled off the left field wall with one out of the sixth — a drive that would have been a home run in the majors’ 29 other parks, according to Major League Baseball tracking — but didn’t make it home.

The Rays (29-7) also went without a hit in scoring opportunities. They put their first two hitters on against Orioles starter Kyle Gibson, but he stranded both. Josh Lowe’s home run in the second provided the game’s first run, but Gibson largely cruised from there, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth. A leadoff single in the seventh from Luke Raley ended Gibson’s night, with the veteran having provided his fourth of Baltimore’s eight quality starts.

Bryan Baker issued two walks behind him, with Tampa Bay doubling its lead on Franco’s sacrifice fly. Raley hit a solo shot off Keegan Akin in the ninth.

In the inning’s bottom half, Ramón Urías hobbled to first on a two-out single, with Kyle Stowers pinch-running for him.

This story will be updated.

Rays at Orioles

Tuesday, 6:35 p.m.

TV: MASN

Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM

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