Rays 'lock in' with huge outburst in doubleheader nightcap

ANAHEIM -- The Rays’ long Saturday at Angel Stadium got off to a frustrating start. They lost Game 1 to the Angels, 7-6, and were left to lament weakly struck but well-placed hits off starter Tyler Glasnow, defensive mistakes by Jonathan Aranda and catcher René Pinto and not quite enough offense to complete another comeback.

“What could go wrong did go wrong, kind of,” Glasnow said.

But the Rays left the ballpark with a lot of things to feel good about after breaking out at the plate and blowing out the Angels, 18-4, in Game 2. Unlike Glasnow’s outing, pretty much everything that could go right in the nightcap did exactly that.

The Rays fell one run shy of their club record, putting together their highest-scoring game since July 14, 2018. They racked up 20 hits for the 11th time in franchise history, their most since July 12, 2019. And pretty much everyone played a part as they quickly put their Game 1 loss behind them.

“That's what's really cool about this team,” starter Zach Eflin said. “When things like that happen, we typically lock in and do what we can to get the win. … Everybody kind of just kept going and feeding off each other, so it was a lot of fun.”

Eflin bounced back from a rough start by pitching six strong innings. Timely hits by rookie infielders Curtis Mead and Osleivis Basabe keyed a big night for the entire lineup. Harold Ramírez had four hits and four RBIs, Isaac Paredes and Jose Siri bashed their 24th homers, and Randy Arozarena contributed three hits and two RBIs as he homered for the first time since Aug. 1.

“It was good for the team that the whole lineup was able to produce,” Arozarena said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I feel good. I think I'm starting to feel a lot more like I did in the beginning of the year.”

After splitting Saturday’s split doubleheader, the Rays (75-51) lost a half-game in the American League East standings, leaving them 2 1/2 games behind the Orioles heading into consecutive days off before they host the Rockies on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. But they headed home feeling encouraged about their recent play, as they have won 13 of their last 21 games while claiming six of seven series during that stretch.

“Good win. Nice road trip,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We've done some good things over the last four or five series now, really finding a way to win that final game.”

Saturday was a return to form for Eflin, who surrendered a season-high six runs on nine hits while pitching only three innings last Sunday. The right-hander permitted just one run on four hits against the Angels as he became the first American League pitcher to win 13 games this season by putting together his 14th quality start.

“I felt like I got back on track,” Eflin said. “I felt like I was commanding the zone, getting ahead of guys and had some put-away stuff tonight.”

Eflin received some assistance from Arozarena, who ran and reached and slid and spun to snag Renfroe’s fly ball to left in the third inning. (“That was awesome,” Eflin said. “When he turns it on, he's electric.”) And he got plenty of help from Tampa Bay’s lineup.

Lefty Patrick Sandoval kept the Rays off the board until the fourth, when Paredes singled and scored on Basabe’s double while Mead walked and scored on a groundout by Josh Lowe. After Adams misplayed Arozarena’s two-out fly ball to keep the fifth inning alive, Ramírez and Paredes singled, then Mead pulled a double down the left-field line.

With his first Major League extra-base hit and RBIs in hand, Mead (the Rays’ No. 3 prospect) immediately scored on No. 6 prospect Basabe’s second RBI double of the night.

“They're different, but you can tell both of them like to be up there,” Cash said of Basabe and Mead. “I think they kind of thrive in those situations with guys on base.”

The Rays broke the game open in the sixth against Jaime Barria. They loaded the bases on singles by Christian Bethancourt, Yandy Díaz and Arozarena, then Ramírez whacked a two-run double to center. Up came Paredes, who bashed a three-run shot to left-center.

Paredes’ time alone atop the Rays’ home run leaderboard did not last long. Three batters later, Siri launched his 24th of the season a projected 410 feet out to left field. Nobody in Tampa Bay’s dugout will complain if their friendly, homer-for-homer competition continues down the stretch.

“It's all just for fun and within friends,” Paredes said through Navarro. “I don't know who's going to win. Not trying to keep it too competitive. We're just trying to have fun between each other.”