ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- Jalen Beeks earned his first Major League win, and the Tampa Bay used another fourth-inning rally, scoring four times before holding on for a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels Thursday, capping a three-game sweep at Tropicana Field.
The Rays, who scored ten runs in the fourth innings of the first two games of the series, started the fourth inning Thursday with back-to-back singles by Matt Duffy and Daniel Robertson off Andrew Heaney. Tommy Pham was hit on the right foot by a pitch to load the bases, and C.J. Cron opened the scoring with a base hit that plated a pair.
A weak ground ball by Jake Bauers moved both remaining runners up a base, and after Gomez was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, a wild pitch by Heaney allowed Pham to score to make it 3-0, and a sacrifice fly from Willy Adames plated Cron for a 4-0 lead.
Pham would leave the game in the seventh with what the team is calling a right foot contusion after x-rays were negative. He is considered day-to-day.
That lead proved to be more than enough for Beeks (1-1), who did not allow a hit after taking over for Hunter Wood in the third until the seventh when Justin Upton singled away from the shift, and moved to third on a double by Albert Pujols. Andrelton Simmons and Jefry Marte each drove in runs with groundouts, but the left-hander got Kaleb Cowart to strike out and end the inning.
Diego Castillo worked a perfect eighth and Sergio Romo's 1-2-3 ninth earned his 13th save of the year.
FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (56-53) vs. Chicago White Sox (38-70), 7:10 p.m. first pitch. Coverage on WDAE begins at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars.
Rays starter - RHP Ryne Stanek (1-3, 2.36 ERA)
White Sox starter - RHP Lucas Giolito (7-8, 6.26 ERA)