Mickey Moniak's First Career Grand Slam Powers The Angels To A 7-5 Win Over The Athletics
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- — Ben Rortvedt hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBI, 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 RBI 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.
------
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Yorktowne Cabinetry Scaled 3ec365800dbd538b5cb41ba331f687b8 4ffefe4d19737302156ab4a6fe3a5eb0 2e953be6554c71dcff116ac845e5173f 712dcf821ed6a7e5fc8a6df0fb292afa Bold And Sophisticated Monochrome Kitchen Design.webp29ca17d398576931b049d849d51b765b DC4357 028 Min DC4357 019 Min 768x592 102765027 0 ?v=1616669527C7db9c5af555eca9f8db06c8d8d7fccd Unnamed 2 01399ad54d0edbba64a99e14a186096f 63555830 Adde 40cc 82db 629d6aa9eb37 Sm 69edf872 Bdce 40ba 8aec Cfc666d3602e H D3a5f85848a0c6996a29f20668b4b99c B2e2426f1e659e11926a32a14eb777d2 54fe75e7e4eb232abf1148aee0bafdca 4570f63f4ab04a152e4e87fef6004af0 E624b84b32812ea3f33c91ad3d6ce313 B12596a4 14a3 47ba 882b Bf252adbacfb H B37e6da9 9ff8 4c4e Abc5 94e0eeb1d4b2 H 50c08b96 33c5 45e1 93bb 469e32488190 H 889ae5edc66e85b310307d91ec2493b8 Dfd66ded9931e8a6a9c030bc3e9895a3 DC4357 014 Min 2048x1521 DC4357 022 Min 768x551 F3079745 7b39 42d2 8774 22fa7b4b41de L DC4357 005 Min 768x567 Page 1 208 Soho Gray V2 6099cae8d106efd6e95ff392823f38ec 11b2bc5d993a365241a9c9332967357f Mysoho 9eb5d14a 2158 4e5f Badd 3e7bf16a344c H