Johnny DeLuca made a strong comeback in his first game of the season after recovering from a broken right hand, Amed Rosario also shined with three hits and two RBIs, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 10-8 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
DeLuca drove in two runs with a single off Jose Quintana (1-3) during a five-run third inning, helping the Rays establish an 8-3 lead. He added another RBI with a grounder in the second inning, contributing to the Rays’ third win in 11 games.
“It was some of the best hitting we’ve seen this season, so it’s encouraging,” Rays manager Kevin Cash commented. “Every bit of it was needed.”
Yandy Díaz also played a key role with two RBIs, assisting Cash in tying Joe Maddon for the most wins in franchise history with 754 victories.
Randy Arozarena, who has been struggling this season, boosted the lead to 9-3 with a solo homer in the fourth inning. Despite his difficulties, Arozarena acknowledged the importance of scoring runs, especially after a stretch where they hadn’t scored many.
Tampa Bay had only scored a total of 31 runs in their previous 10 games.
Rays starter Aaron Civale was replaced with two outs in the fifth inning after Francisco Lindor’s two-run double. Civale had a tough outing, giving up seven runs and six hits, extending a streak of rough starts where he has allowed 18 runs over 13 2/3 innings in his last three games.
Brett Baty’s towering three-run homer in the second inning gave the Mets an early 3-0 lead. Baty, who also hit a solo homer in the ninth inning, impressed Mets manager Carlos Mendoza with his performance, marking his first career multi-homer game.
However, despite Baty’s efforts, the Mets suffered their eighth loss in 12 games.
Shawn Armstrong (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, while Jason Adam secured his second save of the season by working out of a jam in the ninth inning.
