Rays rally in ninth to walk-off win over Carlos Estévez and the Angels
Manuel Margot flared a run-scoring single to right field to complete a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Rays beat the Angels 5-4 on Thursday
Tampa Bay, which holds the top AL wild card, started the day 2½ games behind AL East-leading Baltimore, which holds the tiebreaker. The Orioles were scheduled to play at Cleveland on Thursday night.
“We know that the Orioles are above us,” Margot said through an interpreter. “We can’t control what they can do. We’ve just have to be able to control what we can.”
Brandon Drury homered twice with five RBIs and the Angels stopped a six-game skid by beating the AL wild card-leading Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 on Wednesday.
Pinch-hitter Harold Ramírez and Yandy Díaz started the ninth with singles off Angels closer Carlos Estévez (5-5). Ramírez went to third on Curtis Mead’s fly ball and scored on Isaac Paredes’ single to tie it at 4.
After Randy Arozarena struck out and Josh Lowe walked to load the bases, Margot delivered his opposite-field, game-winning hit that handed Estévez his fourth blown save in 34 chances..
Margot’s RBI double cut the Rays’ deficit to 4-3 in the sixth. Paredes also had a first-inning RBI double and has driven in 92 runs.
Andrew Kittredge (2-0) worked a scoreless ninth to get the win.
The late rally prevented the Rays (94-60) from dropping two of three to the Angels (69-84), who stopped a six-game skid with an 8-3 win Wednesday night.
Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani had a successful procedure on his elbow, his agent Nez Balelo announced on Tuesday. He is expected to play next season and pitch in 2025.
“We’ve got to create some momentum here,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Last night was tough, for eight innings [today] it was tough. I’m glad we had the ninth.”
Rays starter Zach Eflin failed in his bid to become the AL’s first 16-game winner. The right-hander gave up two runs on six hits and struck out 10 in five innings.
Jo Adell put the Angels ahead 4-2 on his sixth-inning, two-run homer off Shawn Armstrong, who hadn’t given up a homer in 40-1/3 innings.
“It was the best we’ve played for a while for three days and to just come out with one win, it’s very frustrating,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “This game isn’t easy. But when you get opportunities to get runs home and don’t do it, [protecting] one run is a tough assignment, to close a game against a really good lineup coming to the top.”
Eflin stayed in the game after taking Jared Walsh’s 105.9-mph line drive off his right leg with two outs in the fourth. Walsh reached on an infield single and after Adell walked, David Fletcher lined an RBI single that Lowe misplayed in right field to allow a second run to score as the Angels took a 2-1 lead.
Eflin said he is fine.
Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe finished his at-bat in the seventh after hitting a hard foul off his left knee but left after the eighth. He walked gingerly leaving the clubhouse.
“He’s sore,” Cash said. “I think he’s going to be very sore tomorrow. Nothing other than that.”
Angels starter Griffin Canning gave up two runs and three hits over five innings.
Injury update: Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson (knee discomfort) had his scheduled start Friday pushed back to Sunday.
Up next for the Angels: Right-hander Davis Daniel (0-0) will be recalled from triple-A Salt Lake to go against Minnesota right-hander Pablo López (10-8) in the opener of a three-game series.
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