Decisive Power
Cedric Mullins provided the winning margin in the eighth inning, launching a 338-foot home run to left field that broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
The blast was the second home run of the contest, following an earlier effort by DeLuca, as the Rays held on to improve their record to 64-44 while the Rangers fell to 55-54.
Early Exchange
The Rangers struck first in the third inning when Díaz singled to left field, driving in Feduccia to make it 1-0. Tampa Bay answered in the fourth inning. Pederson grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop, but Duran scored on an error, and Nimmo reached second on a fielding error by shortstop Walls, tying the game at 1-1.
The Rays took the lead in the fifth inning when Langford doubled to left field, allowing Osuna to score for a 2-1 advantage.
Tied Up
The Rangers tied the game in the sixth inning. DeLuca homered to left field, measuring 415 feet, to knot the score at 2-2. The pitching staffs worked to keep the momentum neutral for the next two innings.
Shane McClanahan pitched 3.0 innings for Tampa Bay, allowing one earned run with three strikeouts. Marco Gonzales worked 3.0 innings for Texas, giving up five hits and one earned run.
Closing Out
The Rays regained the lead in the eighth inning with Mullins' solo shot. Craig Kimbrel and Steven Matz provided relief for Tampa Bay, with Matz pitching 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Garrett Cleavinger earned the win, recording his third save of the season with a perfect inning.
Bryan Baker closed the game with his 30th save, pitching 1.0 scoreless inning with two strikeouts. The Rangers used five pitchers, with Ben Peoples taking the loss after allowing one earned run in 0.2 innings of work. The game was played in front of 15,322 spectators at Tropicana Field.
Sources
https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816324
