The Tampa Bay Rays faced Los Angeles in a four game series at Tropicana Field and “brought the broom”, sweeping the Angels. A couple of close games and two the Rays showed up with their bats.
Game one featured a strong pitching performance from left-hander Jeffrey Springs, who gave up only one earned run and five hits in 5-2/3 innings. Jalen Beeks, Jason Adams and Shawn Armstrong, who gained the save, shut down the Angels to give Springs his sixth win and lowered his ERA to 2.46. Randy Arozarena had a home run and David Peralta had a double to drive home the winning run in a 2-1 win for the Rays.
In game two, the Rays pounded out 14 hits, scoring 11 runs in a blowout 11-1 victory. Isaac Parades and Christian Bethancourt homered. Arozarena had three hits, while Paredes, Manuel Margot and Taylor Walls added two hits each. Right-hander Corey Kluber cruised to victory, giving up only one run and five hits for his eighth victory.
Shane McClanahan pitched another brilliant game, pitching six innings, giving up only four hits, and striking out nine. Statistics that normally would add a win to his record, but he left with no decision. All the runs were scored in the 8th, 10th and 11th innings. Tied 1-1 in the 8th, both teams could not score in the 9th, but each scored in the 10th inning to make the score 2-2.
In the 11th, Angels right fielder Taylor Ward doubled home Shohei Ohtani from third base after he advanced to third on an infield ground out. After a walk to Magneuris Sierra, Jalen Beeks got a lineout and a strikeout to end the inning.
In the Rays half of the 11th, with Jose Siri on second, Brandon Lowe walked, followed by a Harold Ramírez double, Siri scoring, and Lowe stopping at third. Lowe was out at home trying to score on a fielder’s choice ground ball to Jose Rojas as Ramírez advanced to third. Ramírez scored on a fielder’s choice by Jaren Walsh, whose throw home was off the mark. Rays won 4-3
The final game of the series was just about decided in the third inning. After a Manuel Margot triple drove home two runs, Margot scored on a fielder’s choice by Ramírez. Paredes homered for two more runs. Ward hit a home run in the 4th for the Angels. Ramírez drove in three runs in the 7th with a bases loaded single. Joe Adell drove in two runs in the Angels 8th, only to be shut down the rest of the way by Shawn Armstrong. Final score was Rays 8-3.
Mike Trout hit two home runs in the series and Ohtani was held in check by outstanding Rays pitching. One of Trout’s home runs was his 1600th hit of his career at age 31. On his way to the Hall of Fame? In the final game of the series, Margot had two singles, a double and a triple to fall a home run short of hitting for the cycle.
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