Rays lock in series win with 4-3 victory Saturday night.
With two games remaining in the 2017 season, the Rays hope to end on a high note and secure a series win Saturday night against the Orioles. Chris Archer made his final start of the season looking for his 10th win.
Corey Dickerson and Adeiny Hechavarria gave the Rays their first scoring threat in the second. Dickerson singled with one away. “Hech” hit a loud double the very next at bat to put two runners in scoring position with just one out. A fielder’s choice by Miller would gun down Dickerson at home and Daniel Robertson would strike out to squander the threat and leave the game scoreless heading to the third.
Another scoring threat started by Dickerson and Hechavarria led off the fourth. Dickerson singled. Hechavarria singled. Two aboard with no one out. A wild pitch from Orioles starter Miguel Castro would move them both up with Brad Miller at the plate. Miller would finally crush a pitch into the right field seats for his ninth home run of the year giving the Rays a 3-0 lead with no outs.
Archer’s curtain call.
Archer’s final start of 2017 would be a good one. His day would end after five innings of shutout baseball and six strikeouts. The single-season team record for strikeouts he set back in 2015 remained in tact as he fell four short of breaking it. Archer will finish 2017 with a mere 249 punch outs.
The score would hold 3-0 into the bottom of the seventh. Kevin Kiermaier would single with one away and make it all the way to third thanks to a stolen base and a balk. Wilson Ramos would drive him home on a deep sac fly to center pushing the lead to 4-0.
Former Orioles reliever Tommy Hunter took over in the eighth for the Rays. He would quickly put the first two men on and then Pedro Alvarez would drive them both home with one away to cut the lead in half.
Alex Colome would come in looking for his MLB-leading 47th save of the year. He would quickly put two men aboard with no outs. After striking out Seth Smith, Anthony Santander would hit a sac fly making it 4-3. Kiermaier would make a sliding catch in center to end the game. The win secures a season-ending series win for the Rays.
The final game of 2017 is Sunday as the Rays look for their 80th win.
