Having lost their previous three games and five of their last seven, the Tampa Bay Rays snapped their skid on Wednesday night with a 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers, thanks in large part to Curtis Mead’s first home run of the season.
After the Tigers took an early three-run lead, the Rays responded with a three-run third inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Rortvedt, who collected his second RBI of the game with a single in the sixth. Mead’s two-run homer off Vest in the sixth gave the Rays a 7-5 advantage, which proved to be the game-winning hit.
The Tigers had a chance to tie the game in the fifth inning with runners on second and third, but Amed Rosario robbed Riley Greene of a potential game-tying hit with a leaping catch at the warning track. Jason Adam and Garrett Cleavinger combined to retire the final six batters of the game, with Cleavinger earning his second save of the season.
Mead’s homer was his first since September 22nd of last year, while Rortvedt’s two RBIs give him four for the series. Jason Canha also had two RBIs for the Rays, while Arozarena went 1-for-4 with a first-inning solo home run that tied the game at 1-1.
With the win, the Rays improve to 11-11 on the season, while the Tigers fall to 10-12. The two teams will face off again on Thursday night in the series finale before the Tigers head home to face the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
