Nick Fortes lined a three-run homer in a two-hit outing, starter Shane Baz snapped an eight-game losing streak, and the Tampa Bay Rays opened a crucial three-game series against the visiting Seattle Mariners with a 10-2 rout on Monday night.
Swept in a three-game series in Seattle last month, the Rays cut their deficit against the Mariners, holding the final American League wild-card spot, to 4 1/2 games and claimed their fourth straight win.
Saddled with eight losses in his past nine starts, Baz (9-11) won for the first time since June 26 in Kansas City with six scoreless innings. He yielded five hits, fanned six and walked two.
Jake Mangum (double, run, stolen base) and Junior Caminero (double, two RBIs) had three hits apiece. Yandy Diaz was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Fortes scored three runs, and Tristan Gray hit a two-run homer in Tampa Bay’s 13-hit attack.
Seattle pinch hitter Leo Rivas crushed his first career home run. Former Rays star Randy Arozarena was 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Eugenio Suarez (two doubles), J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh each had two hits.
Over a four-inning start, Luis Castillo (8-8) surrendered five runs on six hits while striking out five with a walk.
Tampa Bay got it going with two outs in the second inning after Mangum’s infield hit and a walk to Richie Palacios, who was playing in his first game since April 17.
Fortes shot Castillo’s 2-0 high fastball out to right center. Right fielder Dominic Canzone leaped for a grab but could not keep it in the yard, losing his glove into the stands. After a brief fan interference review, Fortes’ fourth homer was upheld.
The home side pushed it to 5-0 in the third when Brandon Lowe stroked an RBI double and Caminero singled to plate him.
In the seventh, Diaz slashed a two-run double to right to send home Fortes and Chandler Simpson. Diaz then scored on Caminero’s single for an 8-0 lead.
Gray slugged a two-run homer in the eighth before Rivas cranked his blast in the ninth for Seattle’s runs.
