ST. PETERSBURG (620 WDAE) -- The Tampa Bay Rays used a three-run sixth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and take what would be a 4-2 win over the Texas Rangers, giving the Rays their first home series win of 2018.
FARIA USES STRONG START TO GET FIRST WIN: Right-hander Jake Faria had his second consecutive outing allowing one run, as Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo home run off the Rays starter in the third inning for a 1-0 Texas lead. However, that would be the only damage done to Faria in his six innings of work. He allowed five hits total, walked one and struck out six on 80-pitches.
BATS GET GOING LATE TO CHASE HAMELS: Tampa Bay continued to trail 1-0 until the sixth, when Johnny Field led off the inning against Hamels with a base hit. Daniel Robertson then tied the game with a double that rolled to the left field wall and allowed Field to scramble around all the way from first to make it a 1-1 game.
C.J. Cron broke the tie two batters later with a base hit to score Robertson and extend his hitting streak to eight straight games.
Adeiny Hechavarria would extend the Tampa Bay lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly that scored Carlos Gomez, who Hamels hit with a pitch and went to third base on Cron's single.
The Rays made it a 4-1 game an inning later, as Denard Span drove in Joey Wendle with an RBI double.
COLOME SLOGS THROUGH NINTH TO RECORD SAVE: Alex Colome has yet to show signs that he;'s back to being the reliever that led all of major League Baseball in saves in 2017, but gutted his way through the ninth, allowing a pair of walks to Adrain Beltre and Joey Gallo and giving up an RBI single to Drew Robinson to cut the lead to 4-2, but got Ronald Guzman to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game and earn his fourth save.
FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Rays vs. Minnesota Twins, Tropicana Field, 7:10 first pitch, coverage on WDAE begins at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch presented by Crown Eurocars
Rays starter - RHP Chris Archer (1-1, 7.84 ERA)
Rangers starter - RHP Lance Lynn (0-1, 5.00 ERA)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday - Rays vs Twins, Blake Snell vs Kyle Gibson, 6:10 p.m. first pitch
Sunday - Rays vs Twins, TBD vs TBA, 1:10 p.m. first pitch