Bats Remain Hot As Rays Dispatch Tigers

PORT CHARLOTTE (620 WDAE) -- Chris Archer pitched two-hit baseball into the sixth inning, and six Rays hitters had multi-hit outings as Tampa Bay doubled up the Detroit Tigers 10-5 Sunday at Charlotte Sports Park.

Archer did not allow a run or walk a batter in his 74-pitch outing and struck out four, saying afterward that he felt like everything was moving toward Opening Day as expected.

"Today felt like a great progression," Archer said after the game.  "We talked after my last start about being a little bit more efficient.  I was a lot more efficient today, and I was still able to work on things.  I was experimenting still, and it was good to get the feedback that I got."

Tampa Bay took the lead right off the bat in the first, as Denard Span singled off Tigers starter Artie Lewicki, scored on a Kevin Kiermaier double and Carlos Gomez immediately made it 3-0 with his first home run of the spring.

Kiermaier made it 4-0 an inning later, as his RBI single scored Matt Duffy, who had singled to start he inning.

The Rays added four more runs in the fifth, as Carlos Gomez, who singled to start the inning, scored on an errant pickoff throw by Alex Wilson.  Joey Wendle then tripled and scored on a base hit by Wilson Ramos, who moved to third on a base hit by Matt Duffy and scored on Daniel Robertson's single.  Denard Span then plated Duffy with a base hit of his own.

Detroit finally got on the board in the sixth after Archer left and Chirinos allowed four unearned runs with Jose Iglesias singling with two out, moving to third on a throwing error by Adeiny Hechavarria on a Dixon Machado ground ball.  Both runners scored on a John Hicks double and Adam Simcox then hit a two-run homer that made it an 8-4 game.

An RBI groundout by Victor Reyes an inning later made it 8-5, but Tampa Bay added two more runs to their lead in the home half of the seventh on an RBI double by David Olmedo-Barrera, and a run-scoring single from C.J. Cron.

Tampa Bay saw Dan Jennings get the final  out of the seventh, followed by scoreless innings from Jose Alavarado and Chaz Roe to end the game.

The Rays will play the first of two straight Grapefruit League night games, as they travel to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Monday to take on the Yankees.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:35, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:30.


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