ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonathan Aranda hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 6-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Saturday night.
Tampa Bay (85-57) has won two straight after losing the opener of the four-game series and has the best record in the American League at 85-57.
The Rangers (70-73) went into the game facing their largest deficit in the AL West race at three games. Texas trails Cleveland by two games in the race for
the league's final wild card.
Taylor Walls opened the 10th with a sacrifice bunt that advanced automatic runner Jorge Mateo to third base. Rangers closer Jacon Latz (3-2) then intentionally walked Yandy Díaz before Aranda homered into the home bullpen beyond right field.
Tampa Bay’s Tyler Wells (4-2) pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory.
Junior Caminero hit a solo homer in the first and Richie Palacios added a solo shot in the fifth to give the Rays a 2-0 lead. Caminero’s shot in the first was his AL-leading 38th of the season. Palacios hit his career-high eighth in the fifth; it was his second in two games and third in the last four.
Both Tampa Bay homers were hit off Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, who gave up four hits in six innings while striking out seven and walking one. DeGrom has allowed a major league-high 10 homers in first innings this season. He has a 9.00 ERA in 27 first innings this year and 2.79 ERA after that.
Liam Hicks knocked in Aranda in the eighth on Tampa Bay’s third consecutive two-out single.
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen allowed one run on three hits in seven innings while gunning for his eighth consecutive win.
Joc Pederson hit his team-high 25th homer for Texas in the sixth inning. The Rangers tied the score at 3 in the eighth off Kevin Kelly on Evan Carter’s leadoff homer and Justin Foscue’s liner to left center that got between Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins and scored pinch-runner Cam Cauley.
Rangers LHP MacKenzie Gore (8-10, 4.31 ERA) will start Sunday afternoon. The Rays have not announced a starter.
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