Rangers Lose To Rays
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jake Odorizzi continues to be one of the best pitchers in the majors since the All-Star break and he got a big boost from the Tampa Bay Rays’ offense.
Odorizzi (8-5) won his fifth consecutive decision since the break while Evan Longoria went 2-for-3 with a home run and Brad Miller had a three-run double to lift the Rays to an 8-2 win over the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field on Saturday.
Texas (73-51) had a four-game win streak snapped. Tampa Bay improved to 51-70.
“Great comeback win,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “(Odorizzi) pitched well while the game was close and our offense was able to open things up in the later innings. Guys played with a lot of energy, we ran the bases better today.”
Miller’s double in the bottom of the seventh inning off Rangers reliever Keone Kela gave the Rays a 7-1 lead. The big inning started with a triple from second baseman Tim Beckham, who scored on a single by right fielder Steven Souza Jr.
After catcher Luke Maile reached base on a bunt single and
Longoria walked, Miller ripped a double into the gap in right-center field to clear the bases.
Beckham had a second triple in the bottom of the eighth inning and scored on a double by Souza.
“I’ve been trying to do too much lately and I just wanted to see strikes,” Beckham said. “Swing at balls in the zone and put the barrel on the ball.”
Longoria hit his 28th home run of the season off Rangers starter A.J. Griffin in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Rays a 3-1 lead.
That was more than enough run support for Odorizzi, who gave up one run and six hits in six innings.
“I can’t really pinpoint one thing that was working, a little bit of everything really,” Odorizzi said. “I just had to battle.”
Griffin (5-3) gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Rangers right fielder Nomar Mazara hit a home run off Rays reliver Kevin Jepsen with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
Tampa Bay got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when left fielder Corey Dickerson doubled and scored on a single by Longoria to take a 1-0 lead.
The Rays increased the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning when Maile hit his first career home run off a 1-1 offering from Griffin.
“That was a decent pitch,” Griffin said. “I thought it was down around the bottom of the zone in the corner, but he went out and got it.”
Texas’ first run came from the bat of second baseman Rougned Odor on his 23rd homer of the year in the top of the fourth off Odorizzi.
“I felt like we had a little bit of an opportunity in the first and then again in the third but (Odorizzi) made some pitches when he needed to,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “He kept our right-handers off of any of the fastballs.”
With the Rays ahead 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning, Rangers catcher Jonathan Lucroy hit a double to right-center but Adrian Beltre, who reached base on a single, was tagged out at the plate on a relay throw from Beckham. Beltre initially was called safe, but on the Rays challenge it showed that Maile had clearly tagged Beltre before he reached home.
“I believe it did change the complexion of the game,” Banister said. “Beckham made a great throw. It was a bang-bang play. If that ball is off line any at all or Beckham hesitates any at all, he’s safe.”
