ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Ben Rortvedt hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBIs, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 11-3 on Tuesday night for their seventh win in nine games.
The Rays, at 40-40, returned to the .500 mark for the first time since June 7.
“This is fantastic,” Rortvedt said. “I think we all know hitting is contagious. Not hitting, it’s contagious, I think we’ve all seen that. It’s awesome to be on the winning side of things, and on the hitting side of things right now.”
Seattle got homers from Ty France and Mitch Garver. The AL West-leading Mariners dropped to 2-6 on a nine-game trip.
In a span of six pitches from reliever Mike Baumann, the Rays scored four times in the sixth inning to take a 6-2 lead. After Luis Castillo walked his last two batters, Taylor Walls tripled in a pair of runs on Baumann’s first pitch, and Rortvedt followed with a two-run drive.
Rortvedt had a two-run single during a three-run seventh, giving him 14 RBIs in his last 12 games.
Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer in the eighth for Tampa Bay.
“When you have guys in front of you that are having good at bats, putting barrels on balls, that gives you this almost surprising assurance that you’re not even aware of that you’re going to be able to do it, too,” Walls said.
Castillo (6-9) allowed four runs and five hits in 5 1/3 inning.
“Tight game that got away from us there,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “We’re not playing great baseball. That happens throughout the course of the year. You’re not always going to be smokin’ hot and everything’s going to go your way, but you’ve got to find a way out of it.”
Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez went 0 for 4, including three strikeouts. He is hitless in 14 at-bats, and is hitting .254.
Garrett Cleavinger (5-1) struck out two in a perfect sixth and earned the win.
Seattle tied it at 2 on France’s two-run homer in the fifth off Zack Littell, Garver homered for the second straight game, a seventh-inning solo shot off Phil Maton.
Yandy Díaz extended his career-best hitting streak to 18 games when he homered on Castillo’s first pitch in the first. The Rays’ hitting-streak record is 19 games, set by Jason Bartlett in 2009.
Díaz also has an RBI in a career-high seven consecutive games. The franchise record is eight.
Littell gave up two runs and four hits over five innings as his winless start streak reached eight.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: RHP Bryan Woo (strained right hamstring) was placed on the 15-day injured list. … RHP Gregory Santos (right lat strain) will throw batting practice Friday, and could be ready for games after that.
Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe (broken right pinky toe) and Amed Rosario (facial lacerations) were out of the lineup for the third straight game. Both were hit by pitches on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Seattle RHP George Kirby (6-4, 3.47 ERA) and Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (4-4, 4.61 ERA) are Wednesday’s starters.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
