ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter knows his team is hanging on by a thread to their postseason hopes.

But they are still hanging around and inching closer to .500.

First baseman Chris Davis went 3-for-4 and scored the game-winning run while Wei-Yin Chen pitched seven strong innings to lead the Orioles to a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday.

Chen (10-7) earned his 10th win by giving up one run and six hits while and striking out seven without a walk. He threw 101 pitches with 67 strikes after getting an extra day's rest.

"We got a pretty good return on that," Showalter said. "When he got through the first inning I think he kinda bowed his neck a little."

Zach Britton pitched the ninth inning for his 34th save of the season.

The Orioles (73-75) scored the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth when Davis led off the inning with a double to the gap in right. He scored on a single by center fielder Adam Jones, who drove in both runs.

"We're trying to do what we can do to get back in this thing," Showalter said. "I know we're not figuring into a lot of people's mindset but that clubhouse hasn't given up."

Chen ran into trouble in the seventh when shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and first baseman James Loney opened the inning with singles. Chen, however, retired the next three batters and capped off the inning with strikeout of pinch hitter Joey Butler.

"I just tried not to overthink there," Chen said through an interpreter. "Whatever (catcher Matt) Wieters calls and he set up, I just focused on making that pitch. Sometimes when I overthink, I tend to miss my spot. So I'm happy I could make that pitch and get out of that jam."

In the eighth the Rays had a runner on first with designated hitter Evan Longoria at the plate and then things got strange. Pinch runner Mikie Mahtook, took off for a steal to second as Longoria swung on Orioles reliever Darren O'Day's pitch. Plate umpire Dale Scott ruled Longoria's bat interfered with catcher Matt Wieters' throw and called it actual interference, which meant Mahtook had to go back to first and Longoria was out.

"The rule can be confusing," Scott said. "If he hits him with a backswing and also interferes with him by either leaving the box, or leaning into the pathway of the catcher, which is what I said, backswing interference doesn't mean anything. I had interference and that's interference. If the throw doesn't get to the runner, which is what happened, he has to go back [to first] and the batter is out for the interference."

Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez (10-6) gave up two runs on nine hits and struck out four in seven innings.

"I feel like I did what I could do," Ramirez said. "I just made mistakes with (Davis) and he made me pay. He's a great hitter and I'm glad he didn't hit it to the other side. I might have tried to be too perfect."

Both teams scored runs in the first inning before Ramirez and Chen took over the game.

The Orioles took a 1-0 lead when third baseman Manny Machado walked with one out and advanced to third on a double by Davis. Machado scored on a fielder's choice ground ball from Jones.

Tampa Bay (71-77) tied the game in the bottom of the first when left fielder Brandon Guyer led with a single and scored on a double by third baseman Richie Shaffer.

"I thought it was a well-pitched ballgame on both teams," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Erasmo was very good again. If you take away Chris Davis -- the guy that seemed to have him figured out -- he handled everyone else pretty well. Chen threw the ball well also. We did have a couple of opportunities that we weren't able to capitalize on, but I think you have to give credit to the starting pitcher out there."

NOTES: Rays OF Mikie Mahtook was given the day off after setting a Rays rookie record with five hits in a game Friday. He went 5-for-5 with two doubles. Mahtook entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch runner after Grady Sizemore was hit by a pitch on his knee. He was caught stealing and stayed in the game as a defensive replacement... Orioles RHP Hunter Harvey will be shut down with elbow discomfort until he visits with Dr. James Andrews, according to the Baltimore Sun. Harvey, one of the team's top prospects, has dealt with arm issues and could be a candidate for major surgery. "We're going see what happens," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "We're hoping for a different result than what you would normally think when you hear about these things."... Rays SS Asdrubal Cabrera (knee) returned to the lineup for the first time since leaving Tuesday's game against the Yankees.