Ji-Man Choi went 4-for-5 with two RBI as the host Tampa Bay Rays routed the Los Angeles Angels, 13-3, on Saturday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays totaled 15 hits including home runs by Manuel Margot and Mike Zunino, and won their fourth in a row. Tampa Bay will aim for a three-game sweep on Sunday as the Angels dropped their fifth consecutive game.
Choi broke an 0-for-14 stretch with his single in the fourth inning, which contributed to a four-run frame for the Rays in which they took the lead for good.
Trailing 3-2, Joey Wendle tied the game with an RBI single and Brett Phillips, who finished with three RBI, hit a two-run triple that scored Choi and Wendle. Tampa Bay scored 11 consecutive runs.
Randy Arozarena went 3-for-4 with an RBI while Phillips and Austin Meadows each had two hits.
Rookie Shane McClanahan (3-2) pitched a career-high six innings for the second consecutive start, and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out seven and walking two on 87 pitches.
Margot’s two-run home run in the bottom of the second gave the Rays an early 2-0 lead.
The Angels answered in the top of the third hitting three doubles off McClanahan, which led to three runs. Shohei Ohtani’s RBI double scored Juan Lagares, and a two-run double, two batters later, by Anthony Rendon put Los Angeles in front 3-2.
After his triple, Phillips scored on a wild pitch by Angels starter Alex Cobb (5-3), who exited after four innings.
Cobb gave up six runs on six hits, walked one and struck out three on 79 pitches.
Cobb, a former starting pitcher for the Rays from 2011-2017, has still never beaten his former team, and fell to 0-6 in eight career starts against them.
The Rays broke the game open with five more runs in the seventh inning as Phillips drove in two, Choi and Arozarena drove in one, and rookie Wander Franco drew a walk with the bases loaded.
–Field Level Media