For the first of three against Baltimore, Tampa Bay decided to give the home crowd a show on the shoulders of their Ace.
Rays Start The Scoring Early
The Rays got to Ubaldo Jimenez early. After back-to-back walks by Mallex Smith and Corey Dickerson to start the game, Evan Longoria knocked one in front of Adam Jones that drove in two. Logan Morrison added to it immediately, bringing Longoria home with a triple that went all the way to the wall by the rays take in right-center field. Shane Peterson, fresh from being called up earlier in the day, then drives in Morrison with a fielders’ choice.
And all of that was just in the first inning!
Longoria would get another RBI in the second on a sacrifice fly that drove in Derek Norris, extending the Rays lead. But things really got interesting in the third.
First, Peterson hit a two-run homer (2) into the right field seats that brought Steven Souza Jr…
Shane Peterson lifts a two-run home run to right-center field to give the Rays a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning!!! #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/CMbd3CQpMY
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) June 24, 2017
Just three batters later, with a man on, Norris hit his own two-run homer (9) that just cleared the left field corner by the foul pole.
Derek Norris rips a two-run home run down the left-field line, giving the Rays a seven-run lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning!!! #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/m5wNmMXTpr
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) June 24, 2017
That was it for Jimenez. He was pulled after 2.1 innings, giving up seven hits, nine runs, four walks, and only throwing 65 pitches.
And Keep It Going…
After loading the bases in the fifth, the Rays were able to add five more to the board at the expense of the Orioles fielders. First, an error by Trey Mancini at first let Norris and Smith score. Then, immediately after that, a Ruben Tejada error let Dickerson and Longoria come across. After a sacrifice by Peterson drove in Morrison, the Rays held a 10-run lead just passed the halfway point in the game.
For Peterson, who was batting .286 with Durham before being called back up, collected a career high four RBI’s in his first start back with the big team.
Photo By Wayne Masut | The Scrum Sports
After Baltimore brought the Rays lead down to nine, Morrison hit his 22nd homer of the season to right-center that almost went into the rays tank. Morrison continues to stay hot on the heels of the Yankees Aaron Judge (25).
Photo By Wayne Masut | The Scrum Sports
The Orioles Scored Some Too
The Orioles were able to cut the early Rays lead in half after Chris Archer allowed three straight runners aboard to start the second inning. Two scored, but Archer held the early lead and got out of the inning without anymore damage, with help from a brilliant double play started by Tim Beckham.
Baltimore added two off a Jonathon Schoop double that went past a diving Souza bringing in Jones and Mark Trumbo in the fourth, and added another with a Mancini RBI double in the sixth. After getting out of the inning, Archer would be pulled. He finished with 6.0 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, while striking out only four with 92 pitches.
The Outcome?
Baltimore (35-38) tied a 93-year-old record, allowing 5+ runs for 20 consecutive games. The Rays forced that tie in just the second inning. Tampa Bay (40-36) finished with a season high in run, winning 15-5 to start the weekend series. For Archer, he moves to 6-4 and collected his third straight victory. Jimenez took the loss and moves to 3-2 on the season. Austin Pruitt, who replaced Archer in the seventh, picked up his second straight save after closing the last three innings.
Here’s what Manager Kevin Cash thought about today’s big win…
Kevin Cash on today’s big win #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/udZxQu93sB
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) June 24, 2017
Postgame Roster Move:
Derek Norris will be designated for assignment tomorrow. Wilson Ramos to be called up from triple-A Durham.
