Ramirez has career-high 4 hits in Rays’ 18-4 rout of Angels to get doubleheader split

By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Harold Ramírez had a career-high four hits, Isaac Paredes added three hits, including a three-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 18-4 Saturday night for a doubleheader split.

Brandon Drury had three hits, including a solo homer, to help the Angels win the first game 7-6.

The split doubleheader was scheduled Friday due to the threat of Hurricane Hilary making landfall in Southern California on Sunday.

Ramírez and Parades also drove in four runs apiece in the night game, and all nine hitters in the Rays’ starting lineup had at least one hit in a 20-hit onslaught. It was the 11th time in franchise history Tampa Bay had at least 20 hits and the first since July 12, 2019, against Baltimore.

Randy Arozarena had three hits as Tampa Bay’s Nos. 2-4 batters — Ramírez, Parades and Arozarena — combined to go 10 for 18 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Arozarena and Jose Siri both had two-run homers as the Rays took two of three games in the series.

“It was good for the team that the whole lineup was able to produce,” Arozarena said through an interpreter.

Tampa Bay has gone 13-8 in its last 21 games — including six wins in its last nine — following an MLB-worst 5-15 (.250) stretch from July 1-26. The Rays (75-51) hold the first AL wild card spot and are 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the AL East lead.

“We’ve done some good things over the last four or five series,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Despite the offensive output, Cash said it was starting pitcher Zach Eflin who set the tone early. Eflin (13-7), the American League wins leader, allowed one run and four hits in six innings.

The right-hander bounced back after allowing six runs in three innings in his previous start on Aug. 13 against Cleveland.

“We figured he was going to bounce back. He had good execution with his pitches, throwing where he wanted to, and got some contact,” Cash said.

Drury also went deep in the second game, hitting a three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Hunter Renfroe accounted for the Angels’ other run by going deep in the fifth inning as Los Angeles lost by eight runs or more for the fourth time in the last nine games.

Los Angeles (61-64) is 5-13 in August and eight games out of the final wild card spot.

“Your day ends with a sour taste. We played a great ball game this afternoon and this game (the second one) is the one we’re going to take with us tonight,” manager Phil Nevin said.

Tampa Bay had a 2-0 lead before breaking it open with four runs in the fifth. Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (6-10) appeared to retire the Rays in order, but Arozarena’s fly ball popped out of Angels center fielder Jordyn Adams’ glove to extend the inning.

The Rays took advantage with four straight hits, including Paredes’ RBI single, a two-run double by Curtis Mead and Osleivis Basabe’s run-scoring double.

“You feel terrible for him. Those things happen once in awhile or maybe once in a career. It just happened at a bad time and some things unraveled after that,” Nevin said of Adams’ error. “Unfortunately it spoils his first major league hit (which happened in the third inning). I know he is feeling right now and you feel sick for him.”

Tampa Bay added seven in the sixth as it sent 10 batters to the plate. Ramirez had a two-run double before Paredes connected for a three-run shot off Jaime Barria. Later in the inning, Siri hit a two-run homer to make it 13-1. Arozarena added a two-run, 427-foot blast over the shrubs in center field in the seventh.

Randal Grichuk drove in two runs for the Angels in the first game and also made a leaping catch at the wall in the second inning to rob Yandy Diaz of a home run.

Josh Lowe had three hits and a homer, and René Pinto and Jonathan Aranda both went deep for the first time this season for the Rays.

Drury, who snapped out of an 0-for-20 slump Friday night, led off the fifth with a homer to right-center on a full count.

Griffin Canning (7-5) got the win and Reynaldo Lopez pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.

NOT THAT UNCOMMON

According to SportRadar, it was the 32nd time this season a player received an error on a ball with a 99% catch probability by Statcast.

Since 2015, there have been 217 instances where a player received on error on a ball with a 99% catch probability.

On Friday, the Angels became the ninth team to turn a triple play and hit a grand slam in the second game, but only the second to lose.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: OF Mike Trout (left hamate fracture) took some swings in the indoor batting cages. Nevin said the three-time AL MVP is very close to returning but didn’t want to say if he could be activated on Monday.

UP NEXT

Rays; Return home and have two days off before opening a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

Angels: Scheduled to begin a three-game series against Cincinnati on Monday.

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