Nick Morabito and Brett Baty each stroked three-run doubles as the New York Mets won their three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, clobbering the American League’s top club 10-4 on Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
With the Mets’ six-run lead trimmed to 6-4, Morabito, who went 2-for-2 off the bench, ripped a double to left in the seventh, giving the visitors the cushion they needed. It marked his first career major league hit.
Juan Soto was 2-for-5 with a homer. Bo Bichette went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, a walk and a stolen base. Carson Benge added two hits and two runs as the Mets posted 14 hits.
In his season debut, Justin Hagenman allowed one run on two hits in three innings. He struck out two and walked one.
Dedniel Nunez (1-0) notched the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief after Chris Devenski allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning behind Hagenman.
Richie Palacios slugged a two-run homer and Chandler Simpson had two hits and scored. However, Junior Caminero’s 15-game hitting streak ended.
Making his first start in a month due to elbow discomfort, Griffin Jax (6-10) struggled, surrendering six runs on seven hits, with two walks and a strikeout over 2 2/3 innings.
The Mets (63-77) broke out for three runs in the first inning with timely two-out hitting against Tampa Bay (83-56).
Jared Young sliced an RBI single for the first run, and catcher Liam Hicks dropped a good throw from right fielder Victor Mesa Jr., committing an error that brought in Benge as well. Marcus Semien doubled down the left field line to plate Young.
Baty made it 6-0 with a two-out, three-run double in the third, bouncing a drive off the top of the left field wall to score Bichette, Semien and A.J. Ewing, chasing Jax in the process.
The home side got on the board in the third when Jonathan Aranda singled home Taylor Walls for his 80th RBI.
The Rays closed the gap significantly with three runs in the fourth. Cedric Mullins knocked in Simpson off Devenski and Palacios then followed with his sixth homer to right to cut it to 6-4.
After Morabito’s big hit, Soto homered to right in the eighth for his 23rd of the season and the 10-4 advantage.
–Field Level Media
