The Tampa Bay Rays spotted the Baltimore Orioles a 5-0 lead before coming back thanks to Randy Arozarena, who homered twice and drove in a career-best four helping power a 9-7 win, taking their win streak to a season-best six games.
Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough started by allowing a solo homer to Trey Mancini in the first, then gave up a solo blast to Freddy Galvis an inning later to fall behind 2-0. Ryan Mountcastle then singled, while Ryan McKenna reached two batters later on an error by Willy Adames. Cedric Mullins reached on a fielder’s choice with Mountcastle being thrown out at the plate, and Austin Hays walked to load the bases in front of Mancini, who cleared them with a double.
Orioles starter John Means allowed just two hits in the first four innings, with Kevin Kiermaier singling in the third and Yandy Diaz doing the same in the fourth. But the Rays would get to Means in the fifth, as Mike Zunino would draw a one-out walk, and after Kiermaier flied out to left for the second out of the inning, Mike Brosseau, who came into the game 4 for 9 with three homers against Means, hit his fourth home run of the season, and Arozarena followed with a solo shot to cut the deficit back to 5-3.
Yarbrough would allow another solo homer to Mancini in the bottom of the fifth, but the Rays were able to get Means out of the game in the seventh thanks to a one-out double by Kiermaier. Brandon Hyde would bring in Adam Plutko, and Kevin Cash would counter with Ji-Man Choi, celebrating his 30th birthday, pinch-hitting for Brosseau. Choi would drive in Kiermaier with a RBI single, and Arozarena tied the game with his second home run of the evening, a two-run shot to left.
Tampa Bay took the lead for good in the eighth, as paul Fry allowed a one-out walk to Adames and a two-out free pass ro Kiemaier in front of Choi, whose RBI single broke the tie. Arozarena followed with a two-run double to make it 9-6.
An RBI single by Pedro Severino off Pete Fairbanks in the ninth set the score at 9-7.
Tampa Bay will go for the sweep Thursday, as Rich Hill (2-1, 4.26 ERA) takes on Dean Kremer (0-3, 5.81 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 12:35.
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.
