Richie Palacios lined a walk-off single in the 12th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays won their three-game series over the Oakland Athletics with a 6-5 victory on Thursday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Against left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland with one out, the lefty-swinging Palacios rocked a 1-2 sinker deep to center over the pulled-in, two-man outfield, scoring Jose Caballero from third base.
Jose Siri went deep twice and Isaac Paredes added one as the Rays finished 3-6 on their homestand.
Tampa Bay is 11-4 in one-run games and 4-3 in extra innings.
Richard Lovelady (1-3) got the win with a scoreless 12th.
Staked to a 3-0 lead, Rays southpaw reliever Tyler Alexander surrendered four runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings while striking out seven with no walks.
Oakland’s Shea Langeliers homered, doubled and drove in two, and Abraham Toro and JJ Bleday had three hits apiece. Miguel Andujar drove in a run and collected six RBIs in the series.
In his first start of 2024 and third overall appearance, Oakland left-hander Hogan Harris yielded three runs (one earned) on four hits with two homers. He posted seven strikeouts and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Tyler Ferguson (0-1) took the loss.
The clubs were a combined 4-for-29 with runners in scoring position.
After knotting the series Wednesday night with a 4-3 walk-off win, the home side managed two unearned runs on a two-out homer to left by Paredes in its first time at the plate.
Center fielder Bleday dropped Randy Arozarena’s one-out fly to give the Rays an extra out, and Paredes took advantage by golfing a low 79 mph slider from Harris out to left for his 10th home run.
Siri made it 3-0 in the second by belting one out 428 feet to left-center — with a 109 mph velocity exit — on Harris’ 93 mph fastball.
In the third, the A’s put together a big inning against Alexander on an RBI double by Brent Rooker, Andujar’s run-scoring single and a two-run blast by Langeliers for a 4-3 lead.
Langeliers’ deep ball, an estimated 406-footer to left-center, was his 12th this season.
Against Oakland’s perfect closer Mason Miller, Siri forced extras by rocketing his fifth blast with one out in the ninth on a 100 mph fastball.
Each club notched a run in the 10th before a scoreless 11th and Palacios’ game-winning knock.
–Field Level Media
