Afternoon Delight: Snell Notches 19th Win To Beat Tribe

ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- Blake Snell allowed just one hit over seven innings to earn his MLB-leading 19th win, and Ji-Man Choi's two-run homer proved to be the difference as the Tampa Bay Rays finished off the Cleveland Indians 3-1 Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay wasted little time getting to Indians starter Carlos Carrasco, as Tommy Pham extended the bottom of the first inning with a two-out single and Choi followed by taking the first pitch he saw of the afternoon and sending it off the garage doors beyond the center field fence for his ninth home run of the season.

Tampa Bay added a third run on a fourth-inning sacrifice fly by Kevin Kiermaier that scored Brandon Lowe, who started the inning by tripling off Carrasco (16-9).

Snell (19-5) allowed just a third-inning walk to catcher Roberto Perez and a fourth-inning free pass to Edwin Encarnacion until Jose Ramirez broke up his no-hit bid with a solo home run to left, his 38th of the season.

Snell retired the next three hitters to finish the inning, allowing just the single run and hit along with two walks and nine strikeouts.

Chaz Roe walked pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso with one out in the eighth, but got Josh Donaldson to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat, and Jose Alvarado worked a perfect ninth to notch his eighth save.

The victory gives Tampa Bay a season-series win over the Indians, and matches the team's highest season win total under manager Kevin Cash (80), set in 2015 and matched in 2017.

Friday's Matchup

Tampa Bay Rays (80-65) vs. Oakland Athletics (88-57), 7:10 p.m. first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars.

Rays starter - RHP Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.45 ERA)

Athletics starter - RHP Edwin Jackson (5-3, 3.26 ERA)


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