Recap: Rays Hit 3 Home Runs Off Alex Wood To Split Series With Dodgers
Recap: Rays Hit 3 Home Runs Off Alex Wood To Split Series With Dodgers
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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Wood’s string of nine consecutive batters retired came to a halt with two outs in the bottom of the fourth as Steven Souza Jr. put Tampa Bay ahead, 2-1, with a solo home run. Wood ended the inning by collecting his seventh strikeout of the game.

Smyly protected the lead in the fifth, retiring the Dodgers in order. Curt Casali drove a two-out single to center, though nothing came of it for the Rays. Puig and Gonzalez hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with none out in the sixth.

Erasmo Ramirez replaced Smyly to face Turner. The right-handed reliever got ahead 0-2 in the count, but threw a wild pitch that allowed Puig to score from third base and Gonzalez to reach second.

With two outs and Gonzalez standing on third base, Chase Utley pinch-hit for Thompson and drew a walk. Grandal failed to take advantage as he grounded out to end the inning, sending the game to the bottom of the sixth tied at 2-2.

That didn’t last long however, as the Rays put two on with none out in the bottom of the sixth on a Guyer base hit and Charlie Culberson throwing error on a force out attempt at second base after fielding a Longoria chopper.

Steve Pearce hit the Rays’ third home run of the game off Wood, giving Tampa Bay a 5-2 lead. Louis Coleman came on in relief of the left-hander and finished off the inning without allowing another run to come across.

Seager led off the seventh inning with a double that nearly cleared the fence in right-center field. Joc Pederson, pinch-hitting for Culberson, went down looking. Carl Crawford pinch-hit for Hernandez and flied out. Ramirez completed a second scoreless inning of relief by getting Puig to also fly out.

Pedro Baez entered in the bottom of the seventh and promptly gave up a leadoff home run to Casali. The four home runs allowed by Dodgers pitchers were the most in a single game this season. Longoria tagged Baez for a RBI double that extended the Rays’ lead to 7-2.

Adam Liberatore replaced Baez with two outs and saw his first pitch hit for a RBI double by Kevin Kiermaier before Liberatore could end the inning. Enny Romero walked Gonzalez and gave up a single to Turner that put two on with none out in the eighth.

Romero then walked Kendrick to load the bases, and walked Utley to score a run. Xavier Cedeño replaced Romero and struck out Grandal. Seager drew a walk to score another run, cutting the Rays’ lead to 8-4. Pederson’s sacrifice fly tacked on another run, but it was the last of the inning for the Dodgers.

Rays closer Alex Colome struck out Puig and Gonzalez, then worked around a two-out double from Turner to earn a save in Tampa Bay’s 8-5 win that got them a series split.