Brandon Lowe went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBIs and the Tampa Bay Rays used a four-run third inning to top the visiting Texas Rangers 5-4 on Wednesday night.
The second baseman homered in the first and doubled in the third as the Rays won for the 11th time in 14 games and moved to 20-19 at home in the New York Yankees’ spring training park.
Starting pitcher Shane Baz (5-3) surrendered three runs on five in five innings. He struck out five and walked one as Tampa Bay secured a three-game series win ahead of Thursday’s finale.
In its second loss in the first two games of its nine-game road trip, Texas got a two-run homer by Jonah Heim in a three-run fifth. Wyatt Langford was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
In his first start since last Wednesday, slumping right fielder Adolis Garcia went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
In his first outing since April 23 due to a right shoulder injury, starter Kumar Rocker (1-4) lasted just 3 1/3 innings and surrendered five runs on six hits. He fanned five, walked two and hit a batter as his ERA ballooned to 8.87.
Lowe’s bat was felt right away — on the scoreboard and physically by the visitors.
He smacked his team-leading 12th home run to straightaway center in the first, lifting a low 91 mph changeup off the batter’s eye. The ball bounced back into play and struck the face of Evan Carter, leaving the Texas center fielder with a bloodied upper lip.
After Josh Lowe slapped a one-out double in the third, Brandon Lowe followed with a screaming two-bagger off the right field wall for a 2-0 lead. Jonathan Aranda’s RBI single and Jake Mangum’s single that plated a pair pushed it to a five-run advantage.
Texas finally got to Baz in the fifth when Heim sliced an opposite-field homer to left, his seventh deep ball, to cut it to 5-2. Langford later doubled in Josh Smith.
Following scoreless innings by Rays relievers Manuel Rodriguez, Mason Montgomery and Edwin Uceta, closer Pete Fairbanks allowed an unearned run in the ninth for his 11th save in 12 chances.
–Field Level Media
