It turns out that all the Tampa Bay Rays needed to end their four-game losing streak was some old fashioned home cooking.
Tampa Bay pounded out 13 hits, Willy Adames homered, and Brandon Lowe drove in three as the Rays beat the New York Yankees 10-5 Friday at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Yankee sstarter Corey Kluber in the second, as Yandy Diaz reached on an error by DJ LeMahieu, moved to third on a base hit by Joey Wendle, and scored on a double by Adames. Wendle then made it 2-0 on Brett Philllips’ sacrifice fly in his first plate appearance of the season after starting the year on the injured list.
Rich Hill, who started out by retiring the first eight Yankees hitters in a row, had one hiccup lasting four batters. Unfortunately, all four batters would reach and score, as Tyler Wade started with an infield single, followed by a ground-rule double by LeMahieu. Giancarlo Stanton singled in both runners to tie the game, and Aaron Hicks followed with a two-run homer to give New York the lead.
But the Rays immediately counter-punched against Kluber, as Yoshi Tsutsugo singled, Austin Meadows drew a walk, and Randy Arozarena followed with a base hit that scored Tsutsugo. After Brandon Lowe struck out, Yandy Diaz walked to load the bases, and Aaron Boone brought in Nick Nelson to face Wendle, who greeted the right-hander with a two-run double to give Tampa Bay the lead back.
Tampa Bay added four more runs in the fourth, loading the bases with nobody out against Nelson, and watching Lowe clear the sacks two batters later with a double.
Diaz would single in the second baseman later in the inning to make it a 9-4 game.
Hill (1-0) retired the final ten batters he would face in a row to make it through six full innings.
Willy Adames gave the Rays a tenth run in the bottom of the seventh, smacking a solo homer to right, his first of the season.
Hunter Strickland, making his Rays debut after being called up Friday morning, allowed a solo homer to LeMahieu in the eighth, but New York would get no closer. Chris Mazza allowed a pair of hits in the ninth but closed out the game without allowing a run.
The ten runs scored Friday were the second-most in a home opener in franchise history, behind the 15-5 win over New York in the 2009 home opener.
The Rays will look to make it two wins in a row and get back over .500 Saturday afternoon in the middle game of the series. Chris Archer (0-1, 13.50 ERA) will get the start, taking on Domingo German (0-1, 9.00 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.
