Austin Meadows homered twice and drove in five, while Shane McClanahan and Luis Patino held the Los Angeles Angels to just four hits over seven innings, helping the Tampa Bay Rays earn their third consecutive win with a 8-3 decision Tuesday at Angel Stadium.
Tampa Bay again took advantage of miscues by the Angels’ defense. In the first inning, Manuel Margot was able to reach with two out on an error by shortstop Jose Iglesias, and scored all the way from first on an infield hit coupled with a David Fletcher error to give the Rays an early 1-0 lead.
McClanahan and Angels starter Alex Cobb kept the game 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Randy Arozarena singled to start the inning, stole second base and took third when Max Stassi‘s throw sailed into center field, and scored on a groundout by Meadows.
The Rays bats continued to add on against reliever Steve Cishek in the sixth, with back-to-back singles by Yandy Diaz and Joey Wendle to start the frame. They would each move up a base on a passed ball, and score on a hustle double from Kevin Kiermaier.
Los Angeles finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Mike Trout went deep off Patino, his eighth of the year, but Meadows blasted a solo shot off Ben Rown in the seventh to get that run back, then added a three-run blast off Rowen an inning later to make it an 8-1 game.
Jose Iglesias added a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth against Cody Reed, but the Angels could get no closer, and Hunter Strickland slammed the door shut in the ninth to finish the win.
With the victory, the Rays get back over .500 at 16-15 on the season.
Tampa Bay can secure a series win with a victory Wednesday. Andrew Kittredge (3-0, 1.54 ERA) will open the game, taking on Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 3.29 ERA), who was originally scheduled to pitch Monday’s opener. First pitch is scheduled for 9:38.
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.
