Tampa, FL –Wenceel Perez and Parker Meadows homered as the Detroit Tigers avoid the series sweep defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 9-1 at George Steinbrenner Field on Sunday afternoon.
Garrett Cleavinger (0-3, 2.70 ERA) takes the loss for the Rays whose record falls to 43-35.
Tyler Holton (3-3, 4.58 ERA) is credited with the win as the Tiger avoid the sweep and improve to a MLB best 49-30.
Detroit scored the games first run with a 2-out RBI single by Dillon Dingler scored Riley Green who had led off the inning with a double.
The Rays tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on Junior Caminero‘s 19th homer on the season.
Zack Littell worked five innings allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out five, walking none, and hit a batter. He made 69 pitches with 53 for strike. He threw a first pitch strike to 16 of the 19 batters he faced.
Casey Mize was removed from the game with a man on first and nobody out in the sixth inning due to a lower leg issue. He was replaced by Tyler Holton who erased the baserunner inducing a double play off the bat of Jonathan Aranda. Mize final line was five innings, one earned run on six hits while striking out six and walking none. He threw 80 pitches with 52 for strikes and threw a strike to 18 of 21 batters.
The Tigers regained the lead in the 7th inning when Wenceel Perez hit a 2-run homer of Garrett Cleavinger to put the Tigers on to 3-1. It was Perez’s sixth homer on the season.
The Tigers blew the game open in the ninth inning off Rays reliever Forrest Whitley who allowed six straight hits to open the frame and all six scored. The big hit was a 3-run homer by Parker Meadows, his second homer of the season.
The Rays scored a pair of runs in the ninth on a 2-RBI single by Taylor Walls cutting the Tigers lead to 9-3.
Rays Streaking:
Yandy Diaz extended his hitting streak to 13 straight games, his on-base streak to 17 straight, and his multi-hit streak to five in a row. Jonathan Aranda extended his hitting streak to eight in a row and Jake Mangum extended his hitting streak to 10 straight. Brandon Lowe infield single in the bottom of the eighth extended his hitting streak to 11 straight games and his base streak to 13 games. Taylor Walls extended his on-base streak to 13 games with a single in the 9th.
Up Next For Rays:
The Rays have an off-day on Monday before heading to Kansas City to take on the Royals starting Tuesday night. Taj Bradley 4-5, 4.95 ERA) will start for the Rays. The Royals counter with left-hander Kris Bubic (6-4, 2.12 ERA).
