Isaac Paredes’ grand slam highlighted a six-run second inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays homered five times to improve to 7-0 with a 9-5 victory over the visiting Oakland Athletics on Friday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Harold Ramirez, Manuel Margot, Christian Bethancourt and Wander Franco each clubbed solo home runs, while Paredes added two singles for Tampa Bay, which is off to the majors’ best start since Baltimore went 7-0 in 2016. The Rays have outscored their opponents 53-18, and won each by at least four runs — the first team since the 1884 St. Louis Maroons did so in their first 13 games.
Rookie Ryan Noda and Shea Langeliers (two hits) each homered and Aledmys Diaz had two hits with an RBI for Oakland, which has been outscored 50-27 while losing five of its first seven.
Athletics starter Ken Waldichuk (0-2) yielded eight runs on eight hits, including four homers, in three innings.
Oakland opened the scoring in the second against Rays starter Zach Eflin (2-0) on Jace Peterson’s RBI single to center field. However, Ramon Laureano (two hits) was thrown out at the plate by Jose Siri on the play.
Tampa Bay broke out in its half of the second. Ramirez led off with an opposite-field homer to right. Waldichuk then yielded three walks and a single to the next four batters, giving the Rays a 2-1 lead.
Then, after Yandy Diaz and Franco struck out, Paredes cleared the bases by taking a hanging breaking ball just over the left-field fence.
Oakland got a run back on Noda’s homer in the third, but in the bottom of the frame, Margot drilled Waldichuk’s offering into the left-center field seats. Two batters later, Bethancourt went deep to right-center for an 8-2 Rays’ lead.
Eflin allowed nine hits but limited Oakland to three runs, striking out seven without a walk in six innings.
Meanwhile, Oakland’s Adam Oller yielded Franco’s eighth-inning homer, and one other hit, over five strong relief innings.
–Field Level Media