ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays saw yet another rally fall short, spotting the Seattle Mariners another 4-0 lead before coming back only to drop their eighth straight contest 4-3 Friday.
After starter Wilmer Font worked a quick and effective first and second inning, Seattle jumped on him in the third, with Ben Gamel drawing a walk and Guillermo Heredia . Daniel Vogelbach singled in Gamel for a 1-0 lead and after Dee Gordon struck out, Jean Segura grounded into what should have been an inning-ending double play against Matt Andriese, but Christian Arroyo had trouble getting rid of the ball to second, and the Mariners shortstop beat out the back end of the play, allowing Heredia to score and make it 2-0.
Seattle added on an inning later, as Andriese hit Nelson Cruz with a pitch before allowing singles to Kyle Seager and Gamel to load the bases with one out and Robertson could find the grip on a Heredia ground ball, meaning another double play was not turned and Cruz scored for a 3-0 advantage.
Mitch Haniger made the lead 4-0 in the fifth with a base hit that scored Segura, who had doubled off Andriese to start the inning.
Arroyo got the Rays on the board in the fifth, hitting his first home run as a member of the Rays, a solo shot off Marco Gonzales.
Gonzales (7-3) worked into the eighth inning, leaving after a one-out infield single by Mallex Smith to be replaced by former Rays closer Alex Colome. The right-hander got Daniel Robertson to fly out to right, but C.J. Cron picked up his teammate and blasted a two-run homer to right to cut the deficit back to a single run and chase Colome from the game and force Mariners manager Scott Servais to bring in his closer Edwin Diaz.
Diaz gave up singles to Matt Duffy and Wilson Ramos, but Carlos Gomez stranded both runners with a fly ball to center that ended the rally.
Tampa Bay also git the tying run aboard in the ninth off Diaz, as pinch-hitter Joey Wendle was hit by a pitch, but the second baseman was caught trying to steal second base with Smith at the plate to end the game.
Tampa Bay is now 9-15 in one-run games this year, while the Mariners are now 19-9 in the same situation.
SATURDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (28-34) vs. Seattle Mariners (40-23). 4:10p.m. first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 3:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars
Rays starter - LHP Blake Snell (7-3, 2.36 ERA)
Mariners starter - RHP Felix Hernandez (6-4, 5.33 ERA)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Sunday - Rays vs. Seattle Mariners, 1:10 p.m. first pitch
Monday - Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 7:10 p.m. first pitch
Tuesday - Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 7:10 p.m. first pitch
Wednesday - Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 1:10 p.m. first pitch