Jeffrey Springs earned his first win in 16 months, Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-1 on Saturday.
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash reached 800 career wins, making him the sixth active manager to achieve this milestone. The Rays are now back at a .500 record with 61 wins and 61 losses.
“I didn’t even know it until after the game,” Cash said with a laugh. “Look, I’m happy and appreciate the guys. Every win is meaningful.”
Springs (1-1) gave up one run and four hits while striking out seven over five innings. This was his fourth start since having Tommy John surgery on April 24, 2023.
The Diamondbacks have lost two games in a row for only the second time since the All-Star break. They have managed to overcome injuries and have a 20-7 record during this period, currently holding a National League wild card spot with a 69-55 record.
“I know everybody wants to talk about us losing a series… I’m not concerned about it,” said Arizona manager Torey Lovullo. “I’m concerned about us playing our best baseball game today. We didn’t do that.”
Arizona had won its previous nine series.
“We’re going to be fine,” Lovullo said. “We’ve lost games because of identifiable things, and we’ll tighten that up and start playing better baseball.”
Arizona star Ketel Marte was the designated hitter after missing three games with a sprained left ankle. He went 1 for 3 with a walk.
Lowe hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, making the score 6-1. Earlier, he had a ground-rule double in the second inning when his high fly ball got stuck on an overhanging catwalk at Tropicana Field.
Right fielder Randal Grichuk thought he might have caught the ball if it weren’t for the obstruction. This was the ninth time a ball had stuck on a Tropicana Field catwalk since the park opened in 1998.
Josh Lowe hit an RBI triple in the first inning off Zac Gallen (9-6) and stole home as part of a double steal, helping the Rays take a 2-0 lead.
