Pinto (2 HRs, 4 RBIs) leads Rays' thrashing of Snell, Giants

ST. PETERSBURG -- Maybe a reunion with an old friend was just what the Rays needed to get their bats back on track.

Last year, left-hander Blake Snell used his first matchup against his former team to kick-start the incredible stretch run of his second Cy Young Award-winning season. The Rays returned the favor Sunday by tagging Snell for seven runs over four innings as they blasted a season-high four homers and cruised to a 9-4 win over the Giants in Snell’s return to Tropicana Field.

Facing his former team for the first time since being traded to the Padres, Snell limited the Rays to two hits and three walks while striking out 12 over six scoreless innings last June at Petco Park. That began a stretch in which the left-hander went 12-3 with a 1.30 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 111 innings over his final 19 starts, good enough to lock up his National League Cy Young Award.

Sunday was just Snell’s second start with the Giants, as he’s still getting built up after signing with San Francisco on March 19. After scoring only four total runs during the first two games of the series, the Rays caught him at a good time as they secured their third straight series victory.

“I'm glad that we got Blake in start two. We know how talented he is. But look, it was good for us,” manager Kevin Cash said. “That's a really talented pitcher, one of our game's best. The command might not have been there, but the stuff certainly looked about the same. He was throwing hard, had a good changeup, good separation, so we were fortunate to get him today.”

Snell was recognized with a video tribute during Friday night’s series opener and spent the past few days getting reacquainted with his old home ballpark, chatting with everyone from pitching coach Kyle Snyder to the clubhouse staff. But he told reporters afterward there were “no emotions” as he took the mound Sunday and lamented his lack of command.

“Those guys don’t know me that well,” Snell said. “I’ve just got to get in the zone, attack, and I’ll be fine.”

Catcher René Pinto led the way for the Rays with his first career multi-homer game and a career-high four RBIs. He launched a three-run blast a projected 433 feet off the batter’s eye against Snell in the fourth, his first home run of the season and the longest shot of his young career.

He followed that up with a solo shot to right against reliever Kai-Wei Teng in the sixth, becoming the first Rays catcher to go deep twice in the same game since Francisco Mejía did it on July 2, 2022.

Expected to be Tampa Bay’s primary catcher this season, Pinto got off to a slow start at the plate, with five hits and 12 strikeouts in his first 25 plate appearances. With catcher Ben Rortvedt putting together quality at-bats, he and Pinto wound up splitting the season’s first 16 starts behind the plate while Pinto kept working behind the scenes between starts.

“Awesome, awesome day for him,” Cash said. “He's been grinding, but it was nice to see him smile.”

Pinto wasn’t the only Rays player who enjoyed a big day at the plate. Tampa Bay’s two scuffling All-Stars produced the team’s first run, as Yandy Díaz hit a leadoff double and scored on a Randy Arozarena single to left, Arozarena’s first RBI since April 2.

Amed Rosario bashed his first home run of the season off Snell in the first inning, a two-run shot to left, as part of a three-hit performance. Rosario had been 0-for-11 against Snell entering Sunday’s series finale but said a more patient approach paid off this time around.

“It feels good, especially since I've been hitting the ball hard, out in front, and not getting the results,” Rosario said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “It's very satisfying finally getting that one.”

Isaac Paredes continued his assault on the left-field corner, pulling his fifth home run out to left field in the seventh off Teng. The Rays had only hit three homers in their past nine games, the second-fewest in the Majors since April 3. They hit four in seven innings on Sunday.

That was more than enough for opener Shawn Armstrong and bulk-innings lefty Tyler Alexander. Armstrong struck out five in his two-inning appearance, then Alexander -- reinstated from the bereavement list on Saturday -- held the Giants to just two runs over six efficient innings.

“Scoring a lot of runs early, especially, gives me a little bit longer of a leash. Which is nice, because there were a few innings where I gave up a couple of hard-hit balls,” Alexander said, smiling. “It's good to see us score a lot of runs.”