Field Level Media
Sep 14, 2019
The Tampa Bay Rays blasted four home runs -- including three in one inning -- to roll past the Los Angeles Angels 11-4 Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Willy Adames, Austin Meadows and Jesus Aguilar homered in the third inning off Angels starter Andrew Heaney as the Rays took the lead for good and ended a two-game losing streak. Overall, Tampa Bay has won seven of nine.
Guillermo Heredia led off the sixth inning with the fourth homer of the night for Tampa Bay, which remained in the second wild card spot in the American League, one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians and a half-game behind the Oakland A's.
While the four home runs certainly served the Rays well, there was much more to their offense than the long ball. They totaled 15 hits in all, including two each by Avisail Garcia, Meadows, Travis d'Arnaud, Aguilar and Adames. Garcia had three RBIs, one of seven Rays to have at least one RBI in the game.
The Angels' lone bright spot in the game was right fielder Kole Calhoun, who threw out a runner at home in the first inning, hit his 30th homer of the season in the third and his 31st in the eighth.
He became the fifth Angels right fielder in club history to hit at least 30 homers in a season, joining Tim Salmon (five times), Vladimir Guerrero (three times), Bobby Bonds (once) and Reggie Jackson (once).
Angels center fielder Mike Trout was not in the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game because of a nerve issue in his right foot. His only appearance in a game in the past week came as a pinch hitter on Sept. 7, when he was walked intentionally. He is day-to-day.
The Angels took an early lead. Designated hitter Albert Pujols doubled off Rays starter Charlie Morton to lead off the second inning, and he later scored on Luis Rengifo's single. But the Rays responded with four runs in the top of the third off Heaney (4-5).
Adames, hitting out of the No. 9 spot, homered to lead off the inning. With one on and one out, Meadows connected for his 30th homer of the season to make it 3-1. And with two outs, Aguilar hit the third homer of the inning for a 4-1 Rays advantage.
Morton (15-6) got the win after allowing three runs on six hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out four.
Heaney was tagged for six runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings. He fanned three without issuing a walk.
--Field Level Media