Jonny DeLuca slugged a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays strengthened their MLB-best home record with Sunday afternoon’s 4-3 comeback victory over the Washington Nationals in St. Petersburg, Fla.
With the Rays down 3-2 and facing his brother-in-law Orlando Ribalta (0-1), Yandy Diaz singled with one out, posting his fourth consecutive game with two hits.
DeLuca then belted Ribalta’s slider up in the zone out to left for his fourth homer and a 4-3 advantage that stood over the final two frames.
DeLuca also doubled in his 2-for-4 showing. Diaz was 2-for-3 with a double and walk. Ryan Vilade hit a solo home run.
Rays starter Nick Martinez yielded three runs on four hits over six innings. The right-hander fanned five with three walks.
Garrett Cleavinger (2-2) tossed a scoreless seventh and Bryan Baker added a perfect eighth. Kevin Kelly allowed a lead-off single to Daylen Lile in the ninth, but the Nats’ outfielder was cut down stealing. Kelly fanned Dylan Crews and Jose Tena to record his third save.
The Rays, 26-10 at home, are 8-1 in the past nine series’ sets in the domed park and won their fourth straight series over the Nats.
Washington’s CJ Abrams went 2-for-4 with a homer and double, and red-hot Nasim Nunez was 2-for-3 with his National League-leading 28th stolen base.
Starter Andrew Alvarez tossed four innings and allowed one run on four hits. He struck out six without walking a batter.
The Nationals lost for the third time in four games.
The NL East team’s speed paid off in the third inning after Jose Tena led off with a walk and a steal of second. He eventually scored on James Wood’s deep sacrifice fly to the center field warning track.
However, Tampa Bay evened it when nine-hole hitter Taylor Walls and Diaz socked consecutive two-out doubles, but Washington used some two-out production of its own in the fourth when Crews doubled in Abrams for a 2-1 lead.
Abrams homered for the third consecutive game, lifting a solo shot to right to make it 3-1 in the sixth. The home run was his 17th of the season and marked the first time he has homered in three straight.
Vilade swatted a monstrous, 436-foot rocket to center in the bottom of the inning to the deficit to 3-2.
–Field Level Media
