Anthony Rendon and Taylor Ward hit RBI singles in the ninth inning, rallying the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Amed Rosario's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth put the Rays up 4-3 before the Angels came back against Rays closer Pete Fairbanks.
A walk, a single and a double steal put runners at second and third with one out before Rendon singled to left. Jo Adell scored from third to tie the game, and Zach Neto appeared to scored from second to put the Angels up for the moment.
The Rays, however, successfully challenged the call as replay review showed that Neto was tagged out before scoring. After an intentional walk to Mike Trout, Ward singled home Rendon from second to put Los Angeles up 5-4. It was Ward's American League-leading 21st RBI.
Angels reliever Hunter Strickland (1-0), who gave up the homer to Rosario, pitched a scoreless ninth to finish it off and get the victory over Fairbanks (0-2).
The Angels held the lead most of the game on the strength of another solid performance by starting pitcher Reid Detmers -- 5 1/3 innings, two runs (one earned) and seven hits -- and Trout's AL-leading eighth home run.
Detmers handed the ball over to the bullpen, which got five outs from reliever Adam Cimber in the sixth and seventh innings.
Rosario, Isaac Paredes and Yandy Diaz each had two hits for Tampa Bay. Nolan Schanuel and Ward had three hits apiece for Los Angeles, which has won two of three to open the four-game series.
Trout's homer off Rays starter Zach Littell in the first inning gave the Angels a 1-0 lead before the Rays tied the game in the second inning on Jose Siri's sacrifice fly.
Rendon's RBI single in the fifth and an RBI double by Luis Rengifo in the sixth put the Angels up 3-1 before the Rays knocked Detmers out of the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Three consecutive singles started the inning, capped by an RBI hit from Randy Arozarena, cutting the Angels' lead to 3-2. With runners on first and third and no outs, Detmers was able to get Paredes to pop out to catcher Logan O'Hoppe.
Angels manager Ron Washington removed Detmers in favor of the sidearm reliever Cimber, who recorded the final two outs without allowing another run to score, maintaining the 3-2 lead.
The Rays threatened again in the seventh, putting runners on first and second with one out, but Cimber escaped when the shortstop Neto made a diving catch of a line drive by Diaz and then dived into second base to double up Curtis Mead to end the inning.
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