ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Orioles shortstop Jorge Mateo had already made magic happen once, starting behind second base in a shift, charging down a dribbler on the right side and beating Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Brandon Lowe to first with a flip of his glove.
It took a replay for the umpires to correctly rule Lowe out, preserving the no-hit bid for starter Austin Voth through four innings. But for all Mateo’s efforts, there was nothing to be done about the chopper between third base and shortstop to begin the sixth. He got to the ball deep in the hole, flung the ball toward first and watched as Jose Siri safely reached base.
With that, Voth’s bid for major league history ended. And soon after, his shutout disappeared, leaving the yard in a hurry on a two-run home run off Randy Arozarena’s bat.
