A season-defining road trip started on a positive note for the Tampa Bay Rays, who still have designs of reaching the postseason as a wild-card entrant.
Chris Archer pitched six shutout innings, and Tampa Bay hit three home runs in a 6-3 victory over the fading Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
By the time the Rays finish their nine-game run through Baltimore, Yankee Stadium and Detroit, they should have a pretty good read on their chances of reaching the playoffs.
''Great way to start off the long road trip,'' said manager Kevin Cash, who beforehand called this ''a big series for both teams trying to claw their way back into this thing.