Ehire Adrianza‘s three-run homer off Tyler Zombro in the bottom of the ninth inning erased a 7-5 Tampa Bay lead, and sent the Rays to their fifth straight Grapefruit League defeat with an 8-7 decision at the hands of the Atlanta Braves Sunday in North Port.
Tampa Bay had a 7-3 advantage heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but Atlanta got back to within two runs on back-to-back solo homers by Shea Langeliers and Sean Kazmar off Phoenix Sanders with two out in the frame, and after the Rays could not add on to their lead in the ninth, Zombro walked Jonathan Morales with one out, then allowed a base hit to Abraham Almonte before Adrianza ended the game with a home run to right.
The Rays initially took the lead in the top of the second, as Mike Brosseau led off the inning against Grant Dayton with a walk. Brett Phillips doubled Brosseau to third, and Kevan Smith brought in both runners with a base hit for a 2-0 advantage.
Tampa Bay pitching allowed just three hits and no runs through the first four frames, but the Braves would take the lead in the fifth off Yacksel Rios with back-to-back home runs; a two-run blast by Jason Kipnis and a solo shot from Ronald Acuna Jr.
Miles Mastrobuoni‘s solo homer in the seventh, his first of the spring brought the Rays back even, and a pair of two-run shots in the eighth by Dalton Kelly off Victor Vodnik and Moises Gomez off Williams Woods gave the Rays a slam advantage.
Drew Strotman allowed a pair of hits in the first to start the game but kept Atlanta off the board. Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson, and Stetson Allie each added scoreless frames in relief, as did Brian Moran and Louis Head.
Tampa Bay welcomes the Boston Red Sox to Charlotte Sports Park Monday with minor-leaguer Joe Ryan taking on Nick Pivetta. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.
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.
