Saturday turned out to be a big night for Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, as he connected for a pair of home runs as the Rays evened up their weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles, running away with a 6-1 win Saturday at Camden Yards.
Arozarena took advantage of Ji-Man Choi drawing a two-out walk from Kyle Bradish in the top of the first inning, taking the first pitch he saw from the Orioles starter and depositing it into the home bullpen for his third homer of the season to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead early.
Arozarena stretched the lead to 3-0 in the fourth, getting a 2-0 fastball from Bradish and sending it over the 398 foot sign on the new wall in left-center.
The Rays added two more runs in the sixth, with Choi driving in Kevin Kiermaier, who had three hits for the third straight game Saturday, on a sacrifice fly and Harold Ramirez‘s ground ball bringing in Yandy Diaz.
Diaz would leave the game after awkwardly sliding into home plate on the play with what the team is calling a left shoulder strain.
Jeffrey Springs (2-1) nearly made it through six full innings having allowed just one hit and no runs. He walked four in 5 2/3 innings and struck out seven to earn the win.
Kiermaier’s third hit gave Tampa Bay its sixth run of the night, as he led off the top of the eighth with a solo homer off Mike Baumann, his fifth of the year.
Baltimore’s only run came in the bottom of the eighth against Ralph Garza, as three straight singles by Austin Hays, Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini spoiled the shutout bid.
Colin Poche pitched a perfect ninth to end the game.
Corey Kluber (1-2, 4.29 ERA) will look to try and give Tampa Bay its eighth series win in the last ten played with a victory in Sunday’s finale, taking on Spenser Watkins (0-1, 5.10 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:35.
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.
