The Tampa Bay Rays (33-20) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (25-27) 5-3 on Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field. The win gives the Rays their fourteenth win in their last fifteen games.
The Rays got a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to get the scoring started. Ronald Torreyes drove in two for Philadelphia in the fifth inning to tie the game, but Ji-Man Choi gave the Rays a 3-2 lead in the sixth with an RBI single. In the seventh inning Matt Joyce homered for the Phillies in the seventh to once again tie the game. In the eighth inning, the Rays broke the tie with an RBI single from Austin Meadows and a bases loaded walk to Mike Brosseau to lift the Rays to a 5-3 win.
Ryan Yarbrough allowed two earned runs in four and a third innings of work, striking out eight and walking two while allowing three hits. Diego Castillo (2-2, 3.30) picked up the win out of the bullpen, while J.P. Feyereisen got his second save since joining the Rays from Milwaukee in the Willy Adames trade.
The Rays and Phillies now wrap up their short two game series on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field. First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 1:10 PM - pregame coverage begins with Neil Solondz and This Week in Rays Baseball at 11:30 AM on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620.
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES