Drew Rasmussen threw six shutout innings, and Kevin Kiermaier‘s two-run homer int he fourth proved to be the difference as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-2, evening up their three-game series at Tropicana Field one game apiece.
The Rays were able to jump out on Marco Gonzales in the first, with Randy Arozarena drawing a leadoff walk, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error by Cal Raleigh, then scoring as Harold Ramirez hit a comebacker off Gonzales for a base hit.
The left-hander would leave the game with what the Mariners called a contusion on his left wrist.
Kiermaier stretched the lead in the fourth, following a base hit by Taylor Walls by crushing a Yohan Ramirez offering into the seats in left-center for his second home run of the season.
That would be more than enough for Rasmussen, who allowed just two hits in his six innings of work, striking out a career-high nine and retiring 10 of his last 11 batters faced.
Seattle used the solo home run to get back into the game, as J.P. Crawford connected off Colin Poche in the seventh, and Abraham Toro got the Mariners back to within a run in the top of the ninth off Andrew Kittredge. But the Tampa Bay reliever got Julio Rodriguez to fly to center to end the game and notch his third save of 2022.
Tampa Bay will look to earn a third consecutive series win Thursday afternoon, going with lefty Jeffrey Springs (1-0, 0.00 ERA) leading a bullpen day against Chris Flexen (1-2, 3.63 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
