Curtis Mead slammed his first home run of the season, helping the Tampa Bay Rays secure a 7-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night and preventing a three-game sweep.
Ben Rortvedt added to the Rays’ lead with an RBI single, followed by Mead’s two-run blast off Will Vest in the sixth inning, marking his first home run since September 22nd.
Tampa Bay, having lost three of their last seven games, saw this win as crucial, especially after dropping the first two games of the series. Rortvedt highlighted the significance of the victory, emphasizing the team’s determination.
On the other hand, the Tigers, concluding a successful 4-2 road trip, were content with winning the series despite missing out on the sweep. Manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged the Rays’ resilience in pivotal moments.
After falling behind early, Detroit surged ahead 5-4 in the sixth inning courtesy of Buddy Kennedy’s RBI single and Javier Báez’s milestone 600th career RBI, a double off Chris Devenski.
Pitchers Jason Adam and Garrett Cleavinger shut down the Tigers in the later innings, securing the win for the Rays. Mark Canha’s fifth-inning single contributed to the Tigers’ offense, as they tried to narrow the deficit.
Tyler Alexander, a former Tiger, pitched four solid innings for the Rays, allowing just two runs and three hits. Hinch jokingly admitted to avoiding Alexander during the series, but he expressed admiration for him as a former player.
