Yandy Diaz hit two home runs among his three hits and drove in three runs as the Tampa Bay Rays snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
Junior Caminero added a solo homer for Tampa Bay, which recorded its ninth shutout and bounced back after losing the opener of the three-game series 5-0 on Friday.
Drew Rasmussen (9-5) allowed four hits with no walks and six strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Garrett Cleavinger recorded two outs in the sixth before Edwin Uceta tossed two perfect innings. Pete Fairbanks struck out the side in the ninth as Rays pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts.
Los Angeles was shut out for the sixth time this season and fell to 4-4 on their nine-game road trip.
Blake Snell (1-1) returned from the injured list to make his first start since April 2 and allowed a leadoff homer to Diaz in the first inning. Diaz turned on Snell’s fifth pitch for his 900th career hit.
Snell, who spent his first five seasons with the Rays, struck out five of his next eight batters before Diaz deposited a 1-1 fastball over the right-field wall for a two-run homer in the third inning.
Snell gave up three runs on five hits over five innings after missing four months with left shoulder inflammation. He struck out eight with no walks while throwing 86 pitches.
The Dodgers threatened in the sixth inning after Miguel Rojas led off with a bunt single. After Mookie Betts flied out, Cleavinger relieved Rasmussen and gave up back-to-back singles to Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to load the bases.
Cleavinger escaped the jam when Teoscar Hernandez grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Freeman had two of the Dodgers’ six hits and is batting .372 (16-for-43) with two home runs and 10 RBIs in his last 11 games.
Jack Dreyer replaced Snell to begin the bottom of the sixth and retired leadoff hitter Brandon Lowe before Caminero hit his 28th homer, a 400-foot shot to center.
–Field Level Media
