For the third straight series, the Tampa Bay Rays saw an extra-inning game go against them, as Adolis Garcia’s first career home run in the top of the tenth gave the Texas Rangers a 6-4 victory, sending the Rays to their third straight defeat.
Tampa Bay never led in the contest, but came back from three separate deficits. Texas got out to a 1-0 lead in te top of the second when former Rays farmhand Nick Solak homered off starter Rich Hill.
Austin Meadows drew the Rays even in the home half of the third, as his base hit drive in Mike Brosseau, who had doubled to start the inning and moved to third on a base hit by Francisco Mejia.
The tie would be short-lived, as Charlie Culberson, who was granted time late by home plate umpire Marty Foster on an 0-2 count, got a pitch in the middle of the strike zone, and deposited it in the seats in left to give Texas a 3-1 lead.
The Rays countered in the next half-inning, with Manuel Margot doubling off Rangers starter Jordan Lyles with two out in the inning, then stealing third base and scoring when Mike Brosseau got his own fastball in the middle of the plate from Lyles and sent it into the seats in left for his first homer of the year.
Hill would leave one out into the fifth inning after allowing a walk to Joey Gallo, who ended up scoring later in the inning on a base hit by Solak to give Texas third third lead of the night.
The game would remain 4-3 until the home half of the seventh, when Brett Phillips walked with one out, moving into scoring position two batters later when Randy Arozarena drew a free pass. The Rangers tried to pick Phillips off at second base, but catcher Jose Trevino’s snap throw down to second ended up going into center field, then center fielder Leody Taveras’ throw to third ended up deflecting off Phillips’ helmet and allowed him to scamper home with the tying run.
The Rays had the go-ahead run in scoring position in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, including twice getting a runner to third base, but could not break the tie in their favor.
Texas took the lead for good in the top of the tenth, as Cody Reed struck out Gallo, but Garcia, who was thrown out at the plate in his bid for an inside-the-park homer Wednesday night, left no doubt Thursday, crushing a Reed (0-1) pitch to right to give the Rangers a 6-4 advantage.
The Rays tried to even the game in the bottom of the tenth, but after Brosseau’s fly ball to right fell short of the wall, Ian Kennedy struck out pinch-hitters Willy Adames and Yoshi Tsutsugo to end the game and earn his third save of the season.
Tampa Bay will next head to New York to open a weekend series with the Yankees.
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.
