The Tampa Bay Rays spotted the Los Angeles Angels a 3-0 lead before storming back with a seven-run top of the eighth inning, finishing off a four-game sweep in Anaheim with a 8-3 victory Thursday, extending their winning streak to a season best-tying five games.
The Angels got all three runs in the bottom of the third inning against left-hander Josh Fleming, who took over after opener Collin McHugh struck out five in two shutout innings. Back-to-back doubles by Juan Lagares and Phil Gosselin made it 1-0, and after Gosselin was thrown out at the plate on a David Fletcher single, Shohei Ohtani‘s two-run homer, his tenth of the season, pushed the deficit up to 3-0.
Rays hitters struggled against Angels starter Andrew Heaney, who allowed just four hits and struck out ten while pitching into seventh, but Joe Maddon had to go to the bullpen as the right-hander threw 110 pitches, and Mike Zunino sent a Mike Mayers pitch into the bullpen in left for his sixth home run of the year.
Tampa Bay would send twelve men to the plate in the eighth, and forced Maddon to use three different pitchers in the inning (Mayers, Aaron Slegers, and Felix Pena). Randy Arozarena got the Rays back to within a run with a double, and Manuel Margot tied the game with a base hit before stealing third base and scoring on a passed ball to break the tie.
A base hit by Yandy Diaz made it 5-3, Zunino added another RBI in the inning to extend the lead to 6-3, and Phillips, hitting for the second time in the inning drove in a pair with a double to set the score.
Fleming (2-2) ended up pitching through the seventh. With Hunter Strickland working a scoreless eigth and Cody Reed slamming the door shut in the ninth.
The win gets Tampa Bay to a season-best three games above .500 at 17-14 on the year.
Tampa Bay next heads to Oakland for a weekend series against the Athletics. Friday night’s opener features left-hander Rich Hill (1-1, 6.39 ERA) taking on Sean Manaea (3-1, 3.48 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 9:40.
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.
