Joey Wendle slugged a go-ahead, three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-4 win over the host Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Reliever Anthony Bass (0-1), who made his Marlins debut and allowed the Wendle homer on an 87-mph splitter, took the loss.
Austin Meadows hit a solo home run for the second game in a row, and Manuel Margot homered, tripled and scored two runs for Tampa Bay.
Miami, which had gone 15 innings without a run to start this season, scored three in the seventh to lead 3-2. But Bass was charged with allowing all four runs in the ninth. Four Marlins relievers surrendered six runs on six hits over the final four innings.
For the second straight game, neither starting pitcher allowed a run or earned a decision.
Tampa Bay’s Ryan Yarbrough retired the first nine Marlins batters in order and finished his night with 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
Miami’s Pablo Lopez pitched five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the sixth as Meadows got a low 0-2 pitch from reliever Richard Bleier and pulled it off the second-deck facing in right field.
The Rays made it 2-0 in the seventh on Margot’s homer to left off of reliever John Curtiss, who hung a breaking ball.
Miami took a 3-2 lead in the seventh. With two outs and none on, Jazz Chisholm tripled on a shot that one-hopped the wall in right. Tampa Bay’s third pitcher of the game, and second of the inning, lefty Ryan Sherriff, came on to face lefty pinch-hitter Corey Dickerson. After swinging and missing at a slider, Dickerson got the same pitch on a 1-2 count and slapped an RBI double down the third-base line.
Miguel Rojas, a right-handed hitter, also went to the opposite field, bouncing a two-run single to right to give Miami its first lead of the series.
Miami added a run in the eighth thanks to second baseman Brandon Lowe’s throwing error. Pinch-runner Magneuris Sierra, who had stolen a base, scored from second to give Miami a 4-2 lead.
But, in the top of the ninth, one-out singles by Lowe and Yandy Diaz set up Wendle for his heroics. Margot tripled and scored on Francisco Mejia’s sacrifice fly for a 6-4 lead.
Diego Castillo pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save in two games. The win went to Andrew Kittredge, who allowed one run and two hits and a walk in the eighth inning.
–Field Level Media