Field Level Media
Sep 1, 2018
Blake Snell struck out nine to win his fifth consecutive start, Matt Duffy hit a two-run double in a four-run sixth inning, and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Indians 5-3 Saturday night.
Tommy Pham also hit an RBI double and Kevin Kiermaier added an RBI single in Tampa Bay's sixth. Kiermaier later left due to back spasms.
Brandon Lowe hit a solo homer for the Rays, and Ji-Man Choi chipped in with three hits, including two doubles.
Pinch hitter Jason Kipnis hit a solo homer for Cleveland.
Snell (17-5) allowed two runs (one earned), eight hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander has won nine of his past 10 decisions.
Adam Kolarek got the final out of the game, his only batter, to earn his second save of the season.
The teams have split the first two games of a three-game series.
Cleveland starter Shane Bieber (8-3) allowed four runs, nine hits and no walks and had four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
The Indians scored twice in the second inning for an early lead. Brandon Guyer reached second on a throwing error on his grounder to third. Melky Cabrera and Yan Gomes hit RBI doubles. The inning ended when Gomes was out trying to score on Michael Brantley's single.
The Rays batted around in their four-run sixth. Lowe singled and took third on Joey Wendle's double. Duffy hit a two-run double. Duffy took third on a groundout and scored on Tommy Pham's double.
Tyler Olson replaced Bieber and allowed an RBI single by Kiermaier.
Snell struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth and made it four strikeouts in a row to start the seventh. After a two-out single by Erik Gonzalez ended a string of nine consecutive outs, Snell was replaced by Jose Alvarado, who retired Francisco Lindor on a groundout.
Lowe led off the ninth against Josh Tomlin with his second homer of the season.
Kipnis opened the bottom of the ninth with his 14th homer of the season. The blast came against Chaz Roe, who retired the next two hitters before Kolarek replaced him.
--Field Level Media