Rays snap out of funk, extend Braves' woes

Danny Jansen went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, Taj Bradley threw six strong innings and the Tampa Bay Rays posted a 6-3 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Friday.

Bradley (2-0) allowed just one run on five hits, while striking out seven and walking two. Christopher Morel also went 3-for-4 with a homer for Tampa Bay, which won the series opener after dropping six of its previous seven games.

Bryce Elder (0-1) threw six innings and gave up five runs and nine hits, striking out four and walking none. Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies each homered for Atlanta, which prolonged its disappointing start to the year, losing its 10th game in 13 tries.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the first inning, as Austin Riley's single and Ozuna's walk were followed by Matt Olson's RBI single to center field. Albies walked to load the bases, before Bradley struck out Bryan De La Cruz and Jarred Kelenic to escape without further damage.

Taylor Walls and Yandy Diaz laced one-out singles for the Rays in the bottom of the third, and Brandon Lowe's sacrifice fly knotted the score.

Tampa Bay grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as Jansen launched his first homer of the season -- a two-run shot to push the margin to 3-1.

The Rays tacked on in the bottom of the sixth, when Morel connected on a two-out, solo home run -- also his first of the year. After Kameron Misner singled and stole second, Jansen's run-scoring single extended Tampa Bay's lead to 5-1.

Atlanta cut its deficit in half in the eighth, when Ozuna and Albies each launched solo home runs off Tampa Bay reliever Edwin Uceta.

Jansen continued his stellar night in the bottom of the eighth, driving in his fourth run in the form of an RBI double to score Morel -- who laced a one-out single off Pierce Johnson.

Pete Fairbanks worked around Drake Baldwin's one-out double in the ninth, closing out the win and picking up his third save of the season with a scoreless frame.