The Tampa Bay Rays overcame a pair of early home runs, and got another strange RBI to break a 3-3 tie, earning a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels Friday night at Tropicana Field.
The Angels needed just three pitches to take the lead, as Shohei Ohtani got a slider from Andrew Kittredge that didn’t move, and he sent it off the D-ring catwalk in right for his league lead-tying 24th home run of the season.
Anthony Rendon would make it 2-0 later in the inning with another solo shot off Kittredge. For Rendon, it would be his fifth homer of the year.
But Tampa Bay would immediately rally back in the bottom of the first, as Angels starter Griffin Canning gave up a base hit to Yandy Diaz, then walked Ji-Man Choi in fron of Wander Franco, whose fly ball was misplayed by Taylor Ward for a two-base error that allowed Diaz to score.
Austin Meadows singled to drive in both Choi and Franco, giving the Rays the lead before being thrown out at second base for the first out of the inning.
Kittredge would get through the second with the lead, but Josh Fleming allowed a double to David Fletcher and a bunt single by Ohtani, and following a strikeout of Luis Rengifo, Fletcher was able to score on a fielder’s choice grounder from Jared Walsh when Francisco Mejia dropped the throw from Choi.
Fleming would work into the sixth allowing just the one unearned run before being lifted in favor of Collin McHugh, who allowed a hit but finished off the sixth and got the Rays through the seventh.
The Rays broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh. as reliever Jose Suarez walked bith Diaz and Choi to start the inning. After Franco flew out for the first out of the frame, Meadows lifted a pop fly that fell in front of Ward in left, loading the bases. Joe Maddon then turned to Steve Cishek to face Brandon Lowe, and the right-hander hit Lowe with a 77 MPH slider to force in what would be the game-winning run.
Matt Wisler worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and Diego Castillo struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 12th save of the year.
The win keeps the Rays one half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the lead in the American League East.
Tampa Bay can extend their winning streak tofour games with a win in Saturday’s middle game of the series. Shane McClanahan (2-2, 4.03 ERA) will take on Alex Cobb (5-2, 4.41 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10.
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.
